Alberta to ban people under 18 from tanning beds to protect against skin cancer
Posted Mar 23, 2015 5:45 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
EDMONTON – Alberta hopes to help protect young people from getting skin cancer by banning them from using indoor tanning beds.
The Skin Cancer Prevention Act will prohibit anyone under 18 from using the popular machines, which aim to bronze the skin by bathing people in ultraviolet rays.
The problem is these UV rays also increase the risk of young people developing skin cancers later in life, including potentially deadly melanoma.
The Canadian Cancer Society says melanoma is one of the fastest-growing preventable cancers.
The National Cancer Institute in the U.S. says teen girls make up a growing number of tanning bed customers.
If Alberta’s proposed legislation is passed, Saskatchewan will be the only province that does not regulate youth access to tanning equipment.
