The FDA really doesn't want minors using tanning beds
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed regulations Friday that would prohibit minors from using tanning beds.
"Today's action is intended to help protect young people from a known and preventable cause of skin cancer and other harms," acting FDA Commissioner Stephen Ostroff said in a statement.
More than 1.6 million minors use indoor tanning beds each year, according to the FDA, and the exposure to radiation ups people's risk for melanoma by 59 percent.
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The agency also proposed that adults using tanning beds would have to sign a form every six months acknowledging the risks, and a number of safety requirements for manufacturers of the beds, including clearer warnings and an emergency switch.
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Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.
