WHB/5/7
Sponsored by Evan Ingmire, Riley Osburn, Aarnav Mrida Varanasi of Page High School
This legislation was filed in the Health category
Presented as part of the YIG Volunteer 2024 conference
| 1 | BE IT ENACTED BY THE TENNESSEE YMCA YOUTH IN GOVERNMENT |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Section 1: Terms in this act will be defined as follows: |
| 4 | a) Tanning Device: any equipment that emits radiation used for tanning of the skin, such as a sun |
| 5 | lamp, tanning booth, or tanning bed, and includes any accompanying equipment, such as |
| 6 | protective eyewear, timers and handrails. |
| 7 | b) Tanning Facility: any building or place of business in which customers gain access to or operate |
| 8 | a tanning device in exchange for payment. |
| 9 | c) Indoor Tanning: the process of using ultraviolet light to darken the skin in order to produce a |
| 10 | cosmetic tan; this term does not encompass the use of “spray tanning,” involving the topical |
| 11 | application of a liquid for the purpose of darkening the skin. |
| 12 | d) Melanoma: a tumor of melanin-forming cells, especially a malignant tumor associated with skin |
| 13 | cancer. This type of tumor is rarer than other forms of skin cancer, but it can spread quickly, often |
| 14 | becoming fatal. |
| 15 | e) Keratinocyte Carcinoma: a very common cancer occurring in the keratinocyte cells of the skin. |
| 16 | This cancer is harmful but not to the same degree as melanoma. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | Section 2: Indoor tanning has been shown to have a variety of health risks due to the |
| 19 | ultraviolet(UV) light emitted by tanning devices. When UV particles come into contact with skin, |
| 20 | they damage the DNA in the epidermal cells, which leads to premature skin aging, cataracts, |
| 21 | keratinocyte carcinomas, and melanomas. These health risks disproportionately affect younger |
| 22 | people, with the American Association of Dermatology estimating that using tanning beds before |
| 23 | age 20 can increase one's chances of developing melanoma by 47%, and the risk increases with |
| 24 | each use. Adolescents who engage in indoor tanning before the age of 18 are also more likely to |
| 25 | continue indoor tanning as adults. |
| 26 | |
| 27 | Section 3: In addition to the adverse effects that indoor tanning can have on the health of its |
| 28 | users, these health issues levy a massive economic cost. For example, the average cost of treating |
| 29 | melanoma below the age of 65 is $111,573, which puts a significant strain on household finances. |
| 30 | Banning indoor tanning would significantly decrease monetary burdens and increase productivity. |
| 31 | Studies show that when a hypothetical nationwide ban of indoor tanning for minors was |
| 32 | introduced, the costs of productivity loss decreased from $4.41 to $4.22 per minor with the ban, |
| 33 | which is around a 4.31% decrease, and an even greater decrease in productivity loss was found |
| 34 | when a total ban was put into place. Instituting an indoor tanning ban for minors also decreased |
| 35 | healthcare costs from 1500.03 per minor to $1439.03, or around 4.07 percent. |
| 36 | |
| 37 | Section 4: A person under the age of eighteen (18) will be prohibited from using a tanning device |
| 38 | at a tanning facility, raising the minimum age from sixteen (16) and removing the exception for |
| 39 | |
| 40 | immediately restricting indoor tanning for minors, the most at risk population will be prevented |
| 41 | from doing any further irreparable damage to their skin. |
| 42 | |
| 43 | Section 5: Upon January 1, 2030, all usage of tanning devices at tanning facilities will be |
| 44 | prohibited. The delayed implementation of this measure will allow time for owners of tanning |
| 45 | facilities to diversify their offerings, softening the economic impact of this ban and giving |
| 46 | individuals the opportunity to alter their habits. |
| 47 | |
| 48 | Section 6: All current penalties outlined in TN Code 68-117-105 (2021) will apply, with each |
| 49 | violation of these bans being classified as a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more |
| 50 | than five hundred dollars ($500), with each day on which a violation occurs constituting another |
| 51 | offense. |
| 52 | |
| 53 | Section 7: The act will neither require funding from the state budget nor require a change in the |
| 54 | existing resources for implementation |
| 55 | |
| 56 | Section 8: All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this are hereby repealed. |
| 57 | |
| 58 | Section 9: This act shall take effect June 1, 2024, the public welfare requiring it. |
| 59 |