Senator Fuschillo Applauds Buffalo News Editorial Calling for Teen Indoor Tanning Ban

             Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. (R-Merrick) today applauded a Buffalo News Editorial which called on New York State to enact a statewide ban on teen indoor tanning. Senator Fuschillo is sponsoring legislation that would enact a statewide teen indoor tanning ban. 

            “The Buffalo News believes that ‘state government has an obligation to act’ to protect teens from harmful indoor tanning. I completely agree,” said Senator Fuschillo, who authored the law banning children under age 14 from tanning. “Studies show that indoor tanning greatly increases the risks of developing skin cancer, especially among young people. That should be enough of a reason to take action. The State needs to pass this bill immediately.” 

            The editorial noted that “one of any state’s primary obligations is to protect the health of its citizens, especially its young ones.” The editorial stated that the proposal is “entirely justifiable” because “indoor tanning is cancer-causing and unnecessary.”  

            Senator Fuschillo’s legislation (S2917) is widely supported by a number of medical and non-profit organizations, including: The American Cancer Society; American Academy of Dermatology Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, District III, Medical Society of New York, New York State Association of County Health Officials, New York State Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, New  York State Nurses Association; Roswell Park Cancer Institute; Skin Cancer Foundation; and the League of Women Voters of New York State. 

The American Cancer Society, in a memo supporting the legislation, noted that use of tanning beds before the age of 30 increases the risk of melanoma by 75 percent. Additionally, it stated UV emitting indoor tanning devices are now classified by the World Health Organization’s International Agency on Research of Cancer (IARC) to the highest level of cancer risk (Group 1) “carcinogenic to humans.” This places indoor tanning devices in the same category as asbestos, benzene, and cigarette smoke. 

                                                                        ####