The FDA really doesn't want minors using tanning beds
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.
