California Bans Tanning Beds for Minors

Reference: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2011/10/10/tanning-beds-banned-for-california-minors/

Summary: California has passed a law stating that kids under the age of 18 cannot use indoor tanning beds without parent permission. This law will take effect on January first. This law was based on recent discovery found linking tanning beds to skin cancer. The American Academy of Dermatology show that based on previous research teens who have used tanning beds are 75% more likely to get melanoma which is the most deadly form of skin cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer put tanning beds in the class one carcinogen category along with cigarettes, plutonium, and ultraviolet radiation.

Critique: It make sense to me I mean tanning beds are like the sun on steroids and if you can get skin cancer from the sun you could definitely get skin cancer from the sun on steroids. They have always seemed dangerous to me, I mean it looks like an oven but for humans if that doesn’t freak you out I don’t know what will. I think California was right to pass this law.

Impact: I believe this makes an impact because many teens are looking for a tan especially California teens and some teens can’t tan just in the sun. Tanning beds was a way for people that have a hard time tanning to tan without getting burned. With this new law passed I think that more teens are going to be protected from fatal skin cancers.