Kennedy Withdraws 2015 FDA Proposal to Ban Minors From Tanning Beds

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. withdrew a proposal to ban minors from using tanning beds, a rule first proposed by the Food and Drug Administration in 2015. The withdrawal occurred in March.

The proposal was withdrawn to “reconsider the best means for addressing the issues covered by the Proposed Rule and related issues regarding access to sunlamp products,” Kennedy stated in a letter announcing the move. The FDA had received more than 8,000 public comments on the proposed rule. Those comments discussed the dangers of UV radiation as well as support for parental decision-making.

The withdrawn rule would have banned minors from using tanning beds. It also would have required adults to sign a form acknowledging the risk of cancer and other health effects from using a tanning bed. Using tanning beds can triple a person’s risk of melanoma.

Those who first use a tanning bed before age 35 years increase their risk for melanoma by 75 percent, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. 6 percent over the past decade, the same organization reported. , have their own regulations banning people under 18 from using tanning beds.

Australia, Brazil and Iran have outright banned indoor tanning. “This is an age group that has a very hard time assessing risk. At that age, they don’t view carcinogens as a real threat,” said Dr. Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski, chair of dermatology and co-director of the Skin Cancer Institute at the University of Arizona.

Curiel-Lewandrowski has treated many patients with advanced melanoma who used tanning beds. She said they were filled with regret.

Dr. Deborah S. Sarnoff, president of the Skin Cancer Foundation, responded to the withdrawal by saying, “We made the public very aware of this issue, and this fight is far from over. ” The Independent has reached out to the Health and Human Services Department for comment.