RFK Jr withdraws proposed FDA ban on minors using tanning beds
Updated
Updated · Los Angeles Times · May 6
RFK Jr withdraws proposed FDA ban on minors using tanning beds
9 articles · Updated · Los Angeles Times · May 6
The March 16 withdrawal also dropped a plan requiring users to acknowledge cancer and skin-ageing risks, despite more than 9,000 public comments on the 2015 proposal.
Dermatologists said indoor tanning exposes users to intense ultraviolet radiation; WHO classifies tanning beds as a Group 1 carcinogen, and use before age 35 is linked to a 75% higher melanoma risk.
Nineteen states and Washington DC already bar under-18s from tanning salons, but rules vary elsewhere, leaving the US more permissive than Australia, Brazil and many European countries.
With a federal ban rejected, how will the U.S. address rising youth skin cancer rates compared to nations with total bans?
As tanning bed rules are reversed, what other established medical guidance could be challenged next under new federal health leadership?