When she was 16, Michelle McCoy religiously basked in the ultraviolet glow of bulbs lining a tanning bed.

For two years, especially in the winter, she would dedicate time every other week to obtaining the bronzed look coveted by her River Hill High School classmates.
 
But at age 19, when she had two suspicious moles removed from her back and hip, McCoy decided it was time to stop.

Her moles were not cancerous, but McCoy, now 21 and a senior at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, says she supports an effort to keep minors out of indoor tanning beds.
 
County Executive Kenneth Ulman and Health Officer Dr. Peter Beilenson formally introduced a regulation Tuesday that would make it illegal for children younger than 18 to use the devices, which some studies suggest cause melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer.

If the county’s board of health passes the measure, Howard County would be the first in the country to keep minors out of tanning beds.
 
Ulman’s brother, Doug, is a two-time survivor of skin cancer.
 
“How could I do anything but support our health officer?” Ulman said.

McCoy said she received a notice from a former salon asking her to oppose the effort, but she thinks teens should heed parental advice and stay out of tanning beds.
 
“I respect what my parents tell me now,” she said. “I am more conscious about my body.”

Officials said there are 17 tanning salons in Howard County and more than 100 locations that offer tanning beds.

Mark Bruce, who lives in Howard County and owns tanning salons in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties, said studies referenced by the county executive and health officer included people with fair skin, therefore skewing results.
 
“While their intention is good, I believe that they’re going about it in the wrong way,” he said.
 
Ulman and Beilenson argue that the Agency for Research on Cancer has classified tanning beds as cancer-causing agents and the World Health Organization suggests they should be treated as a health risk similar to cigarettes.
 
Larry Green, a Rockville dermatologist who spoke at Tuesday’s announcement, also cited a study that shows incidents of melanoma have increased by 50 percent for women 15 to 30 between 1980 and 2004.
 
Existing Maryland law requires parental permission for anyone younger than 18 to use a tanning bed.
 
Ulman said that regulation is not effective.
 
“This is not something we have taken up out of the blue,” Ulman said. “...There is absolutely no enforcement of that law whatsoever.”
 
Melissa Moore, who owns Bodyworks Tannery, in Elkridge, said her staff check identification and turn away anyone under 14 even when accompanied by an adult.

“I feel that parents are capable of making a smart decision,” she said.

Moore said she worries that if the measure passes it could hurt sales, but said she does not know exactly how much of her business is made up of tanners younger than 18.

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user comments (9)

user suntanedu says...

Is this the type of legislation that Howard County needs at the top of the list? Perhaps check how many establishments currently not only follow FDA recommendations, but also have taken the initiative to have mandatory parental consent forms already in place. Next, ask Michelle McCoy about her TOTAL lifetime outdoor sun exposure history, her skin type, amount of moles, and family history of skin cancer--all strong factors pointing to melanoma. Lastly, to the derms that cite the World Health Organization's research, note that WHO is backtracking already. Vincent Cogliano, head of the IARC Monographs program at the International Agency for Research on Cancer-- where the World Health Organization-sanction group's debate originated -- admits the results on which many of the conclusions are based are "limited" as reported in the Ontario's The Whig Standard. The studies included only fair-skinned people, who have been long proven to be more susceptible to melanoma. Cogliano said the use of fair-haired study subjects was natural since they are the ones who get the disease most often. "The evidence gathered on sunbed use and skin cancer so far is limited by problems with the characterization of exposure and the potential confounding effect of sun exposure," the group's report said. For more factual information on indoor tanning, visit www.suntanningedu.com

Posted 7:12 AM, 09.23.09 | Permalink

user asdfgh says...

"many establishments currently not only follow FDA recommendations, but also have taken the initiative to have mandatory parental consent forms already in place." Really suntanedu? They have taken the initiative to follow state law? Wow, I'm impressed!

Posted 8:35 AM, 09.23.09 | Permalink

user onewhocares says...

This is BS! First, Ulman is educating us about stormy weather and now tanning beds. There is nothing else pressing in the county? Is this really going to stop young girls from tanning? No! They will just cross the county line and head somewhere else where they will kindly take their money for a fake bake.

Posted 8:43 AM, 09.23.09 | Permalink

user belovedcartoonmouse says...

Another small step for the nannystate! You know what else causes skin cancer? The sun. Regulate that.

Posted 3:23 PM, 09.23.09 | Permalink

user whatever says...

I think the proposed law is a good thing! Tanning salons can still make their money using those fake spray tans which do not cause skin cancer.Come on people,with all the info out there about skin cancer and fake tanning you should have seen this coming.

Posted 8:37 AM, 09.25.09 | Permalink

user commonsenseplease says...

Another waste of time. What, Howard County would be the first in the Country? Shocking! How many people are we paying to find things for Ken Ulman to be the first to champion so he can get on CNN? What a joke. Has he ever taken a stand on anything important in Howard County? How about requiring parental consent instead of the govermnent trying to raise kids.

Posted 9:39 AM, 09.25.09 | Permalink

user collegestudent2008 says...

This proposed legislation by County Executive Ulman is outrageous. Regardless of your opinion on tanning beds and the effects on ones health, our county executive should not be regulating every personal choice offered to citizens in Columbia.To ban the use of tanning beds by a minor although current state law allows it with parental consent is a total usurpation of power by the local government. Executive Ulman states that such a regulation is necessary because the current practical state law is not enforced by of the local tanning salons. Instead of banning teenage use of tanning beds all together maybe Mr. Ulman should instead support and introduce legislation that would strictly enforce the state law already on the books. Mr. Ulman states that such a regulation is necessary because the tanning beds cause cancer; therefore it is a public health concern. Well do you know what else causes cancer, the sun. Does Mr. Ulman also support legislation that would require all citizens in Howard County to apply sunscreen before going outdoors in the summer to prevent skin cancer? I agree that for minors parental consent should be necessary to use tanning beds in Howard County. But I do not and never could support legislation that infringes on personal liberty and unnecessarily expands the local governments reach into the personal decisions one makes in their daily activities.

Posted 1:03 AM, 09.26.09 | Permalink

user belovedcartoonmouse says...

One of the most disturbing aspects of America today is the lack of desire for freedom.

Posted 2:51 PM, 09.27.09 | Permalink

user independent says...

Is it really a lack of desire for freedom, or devaluing liberty based on the dim prospect of having an impact against powerful people? It may be a problem courage could fix, rest would invigorate, time would allow. Anyone know of good books on why people still vote even though they believe politicians are dishonest?

Posted 6:38 AM, 09.28.09 | Permalink