May. 06, 2015
HARRISBURG — As the one-year anniversary of the passage of the Indoor Tanning Regulation Act approaches, state legislator and author of the law, Rep. Frank Farry (R-Bucks), along with medical experts, are urging owners of Pennsylvania’s more than 2,600 tanning facilities to register with the Department of Health.
“Without proper compliance from business owners in this industry, Pennsylvania’s efforts to protect minors from unnecessary exposure to deadly carcinogens are futile,” Farry said. “I join with Department of Health officials and medical experts in encouraging any applicable facility to begin the registration process.”
Farry’s legislation, Act 41 of 2014, prohibits teens age 16 years of age and younger from indoor tanning facilities. Per the law, an individual, corporation, partnership, proprietorship or association operating a tanning facility must apply for a certificate of registration with the Department of Health for each tanning facility location that is operating in the Commonwealth. Any place where a tanning device is used for a fee, membership or any other compensation is considered a tanning facility.
To date, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reports only 143 facilities have registered in accordance with Act 41 of 2014.
According to the Pennsylvania Academy of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery, melanoma is the most common form of cancer in young adults aged 25-29 years old, and the second most common type of cancer in those aged 15-29. The rise mirrors an increase in the use of tanning beds by young Americans over the past decade. Approximately 70 percent of tanning salon patrons are girls and women aged 14-29.
“We have taken a very important step in protecting our teens from skin cancer by banning indoor tanning under the age of 17,” said Pennsylvania Academy of Dermatology President Christine E. Cabell, MD. “We need to take the tanning act to the next level and promote registration of all tanning salons, so we can protect our teens from this epidemic of skin cancer.”
Tanning facility inspections will begin in May 2016, but facility owners are urged to register in advance to allow the department to process the applications. Additional information and applications for tanning registration are available at
RepFarry.com, or at
www.health.pa.gov.
Representative Frank Farry
142nd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Abbey Haslam
717.260.6222
ahaslam@pahousegop.com
RepFarry.com