Ontario’s teenagers won’t be shut out of tanning salons just yet.
Ottawa Public Health has been urging the city to support a bill that would prohibit the sale of tanning services to people under the age of 18 because it’s associated with an increased risk of developing skin cancer. But Bill 74 died when Premier Dalton McGuinty prorogued the legislature.
“I will bring it back but it is uncertain how and when this could happen,” says NDP France Gélinas, the MPP who championed the bill.
The proposed ban has been debated for a number of years because of an International Agency for Research on Cancer report suggesting that using a tanning bed before the age of 35 can increase the risk of skin cancer by as much as 75 per cent.
But salon owners say responsible tanning decreases this risk. Since there are no standards ensuring the practice of safe tanning, there is little to prevent equipment operators from over exposing customers.
“The real problem is that there are no regulations in the tanning industry in Canada,” says Andy Boznar, owner of UTan on King Edward Avenue.
“I always ask for parental consent from teenagers.”
The Joint Canadian Tanning Association is calling for provincial standards on training procedures instead of an age restriction.
They want to see their association's guidelines standardized, including having a certified operator control the equipment and barring customers with skin too fair to tan safely.
The society’s executive director, Steven Gilroy, says his organization has been working with the Ontario government to develop professional standards for 18 months.
“We can only hope the government understands the risks about who controls the equipment,” Gilroy says.
The association disputes the claims of risk by OPH and argues the percentage of people who could suffer health issues as a result of tanning is almost zero, if tanned by responsible operators.
Ottawa Public Health still supports a ban.
“We have recommended to the Board of Health, the group who governs our services, to send letters of support for legislation on indoor tanning to both the provincial and federal governments,” says Ottawa Public Health nurse Diane Desjardins.
“We’re following in the footsteps of other health units and advocating for legislation because we know that education and awareness alone will not decrease this trend.”