On March 25, 2010, an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration recommended that the agency consider additional regulations on indoor tanning. This occurred despite testimony from the Indoor Tanning Association that existing regulations in the U.S. – already the most stringent in the world – are sufficient and that additional oversight would be excessive, unjustifiable and could significantly damage the entire industry.
It is important to note that the major media after the meeting reported that the panel called for a ban on teen tanning. This is simply not correct. The panel only called for consideration of an age restriction.
Unfortunately, the WHO/IARC report of last summer was repeatedly mentioned as a definitive reason for imposing additional controls. At the meeting, industry representatives told the panel that the WHO/IARC had many flaws.
The ITA told the panel that this report is a compilation of several studies that are many years old. It has been labeled, in the international community, as a political document, not a scientific one. Even the authors of the report acknowledge that “further studies could clarify our understanding... and allow more definitive conclusions.”
The FDA also noted that this issue could be clarified with more definitive study. The body of science on this issue has not changed in the past several years. We are confident that the FDA will recognize this. Based on what we know today, we believe there is simply not enough information or body of science to warrant changing regulatory policy.
More importantly, this advisory panel’s actions are only recommendations and it is our belief that the FDA will fully explore these issues and base any decision on sound science and fact. We look forward to working with the FDA through this process.
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