Bill 22 would ban artificial tanning for minors
Teenagers in Alberta looking to get a tan will have to rely on the sun, or at least a bottle if the provincial government has its way. On Monday, it introduced a bill banning artificial tanning for people under the age of 18.
"The Skin Cancer Prevention Act is a major step forward in the effort to reduce rates of melanoma in our province," health minister Stephen Mandel wrote in a press release Monday afternoon.
"It includes several strong measures that will reduce young people’s chances of getting skin cancer at some point in their life."
Bill 22 would also ban artificial tanning businesses from advertising to minors. Any advertising done by companies will need to include health warnings, which must also be placed on tanning bed machines.
The bill is an attempt to fight increasing rates of skin cancer in Alberta. In 2012, nearly 600 Albertans were diagnosed while 72 died of melanoma.
"Too many Alberta teens are put at a significantly higher risk of developing melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer — by using indoor tanning equipment," said Sarah Hawkins of the Canadian Cancer Society.
'A killer tan is not worth your health'
The legislation came too late for Violetta Ambrozuk. The registered nurse was a frequent tanner after she started using tanning beds at the age of 16. She would often go several times a week, sometimes tanning every day.
At age 25, Ambrozuk was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma.
"It’s a devastating disease," she said.
"I am so, so pleased that legislation was introduced."
After she received the diagnosis, Ambrozuk went back to the tanning salon she would frequent and told the clerk. She was told that melanoma was nothing to worry about.
"It was no big deal, it’s like getting over the flu. That’s what he told me."
Instead, Ambrozuk was subjected to years of medications and surgeries. The melanoma rose up her back, and eventually doctors had to remove a golf ball-sized tumour from her brain.
She still suffered side effects from the damage done by the cancer and will be on anti-epilepsy medication for the rest of her life.
"A killer tan is not worth your health," she said.
"Had [the ban] been there when I was 16, I probably would have never tanned."
The Joint Canadian Tanning Association (JCTA), an industry group based in Kelowna, B.C, said it welcomes the move.
"We all want the same thing — to protect Albertans," said JCTA executive director Steve Gilroy. "We are looking forward to bringing our expertise to this important issue," he said.
The group said it also supports a provision in the bill that would ban unsupervised, self-serve tanning beds.
Tanning methods that do not use UV light, such as spray tanning, would not be affected by Bill 22.
