London, ON – Starting today, it’s lights out for one of the biggest cancer risk factors for Ontario youth. Ontario’s Skin Cancer Prevention Act, the new provincial law that bans tanning bed operators from providing ultraviolet light treatments to anyone under the age of 18, came into effect today. The World Health Organization has classified tanning beds in its highest cancer risk category, which includes asbestos and tobacco. The Act also requires tanning bed operators to ask for identification from anyone who appears to under the age of 25.
“There is no such thing as a ‘safe tan’, regardless of how old you are. A tan is a sign of skin damage and it puts you at an increased risk of developing skin cancer,” says Linda Stobo, Chronic Disease Prevention and Tobacco Control Manager with the Middlesex-London Health Unit. “The bulk of most people’s lifetime exposure of ultraviolet radiation happens during childhood and adolescence, which makes it all the more critical for them to avoid any additional exposure from artificial tanning equipment.”
According to the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, the risk of skin cancer, particularly melanoma (one of the most dangerous forms of skin cancer), increases by 75% when tanning beds are used prior to the age of 35. Melanoma is one of the few cancers to affect young adults and is the second most common cancer amongst 15 to 34 year olds.
In addition to age restrictions, the new Act requires operators to post signs in their businesses that outline the dangerous health effects of artificial tanning and prohibits any advertising or marketing of artificial tanning services to anyone under the age of 18.
Artificial tanning businesses or individuals who offer tanning services in the City of London or Middlesex County are also required to notify the Middlesex-London Health Unit and register as a tanning bed operator. Failure to do so within 60 days could result in charges. The penalties for non-compliance are up to $5,000 for individuals and $25,000 for corporations; with individual set fines similar to those under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act.
Skin cancer accounts for about one-third of all cancers diagnosed in Ontario, representing an estimated $344 million burden on the health care system in 2011.
Media contact:
Dan Flaherty, Communications Manager, Middlesex-London Health Unit, 519-663-5317 ext. 2469 or 519-617-0570 (cell.)
Spokesperson:
Linda Stobo, Program Manager, Chronic Disease Prevention and Tobacco Control, Middlesex-London Health Unit