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No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to health
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to restrictions on the use of ultraviolet radiation devices
Purpose or general idea of bill
To prohibit children under 18 years of age from using an ultra-violet radiation device.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 3555 of the public health law, as amended by Chapter 105 of the laws of 2012, is amended to prohibit a person under the age of 18 from using an ultraviolet radiation device.
Existing law
Current law prohibits children under 17 years of age from using an ultraviolet radiation device. This bill would add 17 year olds to those prohibited.
Justification
According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. About 3.5 million cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer are diagnosed in this country each year. The World Health Organization has added tanning devices to the same category as tobacco and asbestos, marking them as "carcinogenic to humans."
Because the harmful effects of UV exposure accumulate over time, indoor tanning devices pose a greater risk for children and teens by boosting overall lifetime exposure. This is one of the many reasons New York currently prohibits indoor tanning for children under the age of 17 (Chapter 105 of 2012).
Recent studies demonstrate that indoor tanning increases significantly among high school females, from 12.9% usage in 9th graders to 27.2% usage among 12th graders. Given these statistics, we must ensure that our older teenagers, as well as our younger teens, are protected from the harmful effects of indoor tanning devices.
The US Food and Drug Administration is presently undertaking a lengthy process of reviewing current federal regulations for indoor tanning devices for the first time since 1985. New York has proven to be proactive in this regard and should, once again, take definitive steps to prevent this avoidable cancer that takes the lives of so many New Yorkers.
Prior legislative history
Chapter 205 of 2012 prohibited indoor tanning for children 16 and under.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.