On Feb. 14 in Farmington, Utah the Davis County Board of Health passed a new rule requiring indoor tanners aged 17 and under to be accompanied by a parent during tanning sessions. The ruling stops just short of a ban on teen tanning at salons, and the board signaled it might support a full ban on teen salon tanning in the future.
In a January public hearing, opponents of the proposed ruling including operators from some of the 30 tanning salons in Davis County, argued against the proposal citing the personal right to tan. Most salons represented supported requiring parental permission to tan for kids under 18. Advocates of the ruling argued in support of the government's responsibility to limit hazardous exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation to minors.
Dannie McConkie, the Davis County Commissioner and County Board of Health board member, questioned whether the incidence of skin cancer would be reduced enough to justify the ruling.
“People have to take ownership for their own well-being,” says McConkie.
Furthermore, Lewis Garrett, executive director of the Davis County Health Department, said it's when tanning becomes a “habit or obsession” that it may become harmful.
Salt Lake and Utah counties require parental permission for persons aged 17 and under to tan in salons, but Davis County's rule further restricts minors from tanning by requiring a parent to remain in attendance throughout the tanning session.
For more information about this ruling and the Davis County Board of Health, visit http://www.co.davis.ut.us/health/default.cfm.
