[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 57 (Monday, May 2, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E778-E779]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          REINTRODUCTION OF THE TANNING BED CANCER CONTROL ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 2, 2011

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, today, in honor of Melanoma Monday, I am 
reintroducing bipartisan legislation with my colleagues Representative 
Charlie Dent and Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.: the Tanning Bed Cancer 
Control Act. This legislation will empower the Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA) to determine whether the current performance 
standards and regulations placed on tanning beds accurately reflect 
their safety and effectiveness.
  Despite the known health risks associated with indoor tanning, more 
than two million people, the vast majority of whom are women and young 
girls, tan indoors every day. The United States Department of Health 
and Human Services and the World Health Organization's International 
Agency for Research on Cancer have classified indoor tanning beds as a 
known carcinogen (cancer-causing substance), the same category as 
tobacco smoke, asbestos and uranium. Research shows people who tan 
indoors are 75 percent more likely to develop melanoma, the deadliest 
form of skin cancer, which is now the most common form of cancer among 
young adults 25-29 years old. We can no longer ignore the startling 
health effects of indoor tanning.
  In spite of the facts, the FDA currently classifies tanning beds in 
the lowest risk category, Class I. Other examples of Class I devices 
are Band Aids and tongue depressors, devices that pose no risk to 
consumers at all. The Tanning Bed Cancer Control Act requires the FDA 
to examine two sides of tanning bed regulation. First, it requires a 
study be conducted to determine whether or not tanning beds are 
appropriately classified in accordance with the risks of their use. The 
bill also addresses performance standards--factors such as the strength 
of the UV rays emitted and the recommended amount of time a consumer 
should remain in the bed. These standards have not been updated since 
1985. Finally, the legislation calls on the FDA to carry out its own 
findings published in a 2008 Report to Congress and to edit the warning 
label requirements to clearly and more effectively inform consumers of 
the health risks associated with tanning bed use.
  The link between skin cancer and indoor tanning is undeniable and we 
need to protect

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Americans from harmful UV rays. We cannot afford to stand by and watch 
people suffer as a result of misinformation and poor regulation.

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