Tanning beds may soon come with a stronger warning label. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is pushing to reclassify indoor tanning products from a Class I device to a Class II device, indicating a higher risk of cancer from their use.
According to research from the American Academy of Dermatology, people who use indoor tanning beds to expose themselves to ultraviolet light have a 75 percent higher risk of developing melanoma skin cancer than people who shy away from the fake rays. Also, researchers from the University of California San Francisco have reported in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) that tanning beds cause 170,000 cases of skin cancer every year in the U.S. Nevertheless, people continue to flock to tanning beds, particularly teenagers under 18, to try to get a summer bronze.
The new labeling would, according to FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, will “provide consumers with clear and consistent information” on the many health risks associated with tanning beds.
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Sourced from: Medical News Today, Tanning Bed Risks - FDA Aims To Increase Consumer Awareness