SIGN THE PETITION
Dear Surgeon General Benjamin,
On behalf of The Skin Cancer Foundation and its constituents who have signed this letter, we seek your assistance at a critical time in our efforts to protect Americans, especially minors, from the grave risks of indoor tanning. We are asking that you please encourage the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to increase the regulatory requirements for tanning beds through the FDA's medical device reclassification process.
On behalf of The Skin Cancer Foundation and its constituents who have signed this letter, we seek your assistance at a critical time in our efforts to protect Americans, especially minors, from the grave risks of indoor tanning. We are asking that you please encourage the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to increase the regulatory requirements for tanning beds through the FDA's medical device reclassification process.
Tanning beds are currently regulated by the FDA as Class I medical devices. This classification is reserved for the lowest risk products such as tongue depressors and gauze pads and is wholly inappropriate for a product that has been designated as a known carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Although the FDA has the authority to appropriately regulate sunlamps used for indoor tanning, and thereby to protect the public from this threat, the Agency has failed to take the steps needed to protect the public.
In March 2010, FDA's Medical Advisory Panel unanimously recommended that the FDA reclassify tanning beds and impose greater control over their manufacture and distribution. More than a year after the advisory committee's recommendation, the FDA has yet to propose a regulation to reclassify tanning beds. FDA's inaction on this issue means that millions of Americans, including minors, continue to be exposed to tanning beds that clearly lack the appropriate level of regulatory oversight.
The research cited by the IARC includes studies showing that first exposure to tanning beds in youth increases melanoma risk by 75 percent. In addition, people who use tanning beds are 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma. An estimated 700,000 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common form of skin cancer, are diagnosed each year,resulting in approximately 2,500 deaths. Basal cell carcinomas, the most common form of skin cancer, are rarely fatal, but can be highly disfiguring.
This is especially important because on an average day, more than one million Americans use tanning salons. Seventy-one percent of tanning salon patrons are girls and women aged 16-29. Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old and the second most common form of cancer for young people 15-29 years old.
As long as tanning beds remain class I devices, the FDA is not taking the necessary measures to protect the public, which would include restricting the use of these devices by minors. We hope that your attention to this issue will encourage the FDA to take these steps to protect the public, especially minors, and to reduce the rate of skin cancer and help save lives in the United States.Nationwide Tanning Bed Ban for Minors
Dear Surgeon General Benjamin,
On behalf of The Skin Cancer Foundation and its constituents who have signed this letter, we seek your assistance at a critical time in our efforts to protect Americans, especially minors, from the grave risks of indoor tanning. We are asking that you please encourage the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to increase the regulatory requirements for tanning beds through the FDA's medical device reclassification process.
Tanning beds are currently regulated by the FDA as Class I medical devices. This classification is reserved for the lowest risk products such as tongue depressors and gauze pads and is wholly inappropriate for a product that has been designated as a known carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Although the FDA has the authority to appropriately regulate sunlamps used for indoor tanning, and thereby to protect the public from this threat, the Agency has failed to take the steps needed to protect the public.
In March 2010, FDA's Medical Advisory Panel unanimously recommended that the FDA reclassify tanning beds and impose greater control over their manufacture and distribution. More than a year after the advisory committee's recommendation, the FDA has yet to propose a regulation to reclassify tanning beds. FDA's inaction on this issue means that millions of Americans, including minors, continue to be exposed to tanning beds that clearly lack the appropriate level of regulatory oversight.
The research cited by the IARC includes studies showing that first exposure to tanning beds in youth increases melanoma risk by 75 percent. In addition, people who use tanning beds are 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma. An estimated 700,000 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common form of skin cancer, are diagnosed each year,resulting in approximately 2,500 deaths. Basal cell carcinomas, the most common form of skin cancer, are rarely fatal, but can be highly disfiguring.
This is especially important because on an average day, more than one million Americans use tanning salons. Seventy-one percent of tanning salon patrons are girls and women aged 16-29. Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old and the second most common form of cancer for young people 15-29 years old.
As long as tanning beds remain class I devices, the FDA is not taking the necessary measures to protect the public, which would include restricting the use of these devices by minors. We hope that your attention to this issue will encourage the FDA to take these steps to protect the public, especially minors, and to reduce the rate of skin cancer and help save lives in the United States.
Sincerely,
Your Name
