Should B.C ban tanning bed use for minors?

                Manicures, pedicures, spa, cosmetics, and hair salons are just a few services and products that Canada offers. Another commonly known service our country has is indoor tanning booths. With all these vanity services, we can all admit that we like to look our absolute best. However, the government plans to put a limitation on these services by making a law that anyone under the age of eighteen would be forbidden from using indoor tanning salons. The only exception is with a doctor’s prescription. This law would take action in the fall 2012. Should tanning beds in B.C really be banned for minors? People should consider the risks of tanning, and some of the reasons that some would disagree with this new law.

                Indoor tanning beds are bad for your health. According to health statistics, people who use tanning booths under the age of 35 have a higher risk of melanoma, and skin cancer by 75 percent.  Not only that, it causes wrinkles and abnormal ageing in the skin. This is probably not the image you imagined after tanning. This is because the radiation and UV rays in tanning beds are actually much stronger and more concentrated than sunlight. Tanning booths are obviously a health hazard for the minors, and it makes sense for the government to play a role in reducing the risks of skin cancer. Once you use an indoor tanning bed, the results are permanent. If you don’t like the tan, you are stuck with it forever. If you really want a tan, then it is better to use a spray on tan that is temporary, and won’t cause skin cancer. This is much cheaper than going to a tanning salon.

Teenagers are becoming more and more obsessed with looks, and are going even further to give themselves that superstar look. This can lead to rash, blind decision making, which can have disastrous results that they will have to endure for the rest of their life. Teens that take tans often don’t think they will come out  of a tan salon with wrinkles and a possible premature death. Instead they think that they will come out with a nice gorgeous bronze tan, but end up regretting it for the rest of their life. By enforcing this law, we can be assured that by the time the teenager becomes into an adult he or she will be responsible enough to make the right choices for their health.

                 While becoming obsessed with appearances is definitely not a good thing, indoor tanning booths shouldn’t be the only service to take a toll.  The lights to dry nail salons is the same kind of light used in tanning beds. Yes, the same kind of light said to emit UV rays that can potentially cause “cancer”. The nail polish can cause lung disease if inhaled too much. Cosmetics are also hazardous as well, some lipsticks could contain lead, and mascara might have mercury. Instead of going to a hair salon you could end up with a red, watery eyes and a sore throat. These are just a few examples on the side effects of vanity. We might as well ban make up, hair salons and nail salons for minors too.

  One of the reasons people are against this law is because this law is saying parents are incapable of deciding whether or not their own child should go to a tanning salon.  There is already a law that minors under eighteen must get parent permission. The guardian has to be there to sign the form allowing the child to use the tanning bed.  Not only do the parents have to sign a form, but the witness the tan salon operators would have to sign their name, the date, and signature to confirm. In other words the teen can’t get a tan without their guardian’s consent. The government shouldn’t have to make a law that would replace a guardian’s permission.

The risks of allowing our youth to continue using these tanning beds are too high. We can easily prevent these diseases and deaths. This law can save our future generation. Not all parents are perfect, so this is a good precaution. The purpose of this law is to help prevent our increasing population of teenage tan users from possibly ruining their lives, not to insult the guardians. Therefore I think that banning indoor tanning beds for minors in B.C is a good idea.

Bibliography

“Nail Salon Health Hazards”. MSN.com. June 6,2012.                         <http://arabia.msn.com/lifestyle/healthandfitness/wf/2012/may/nailsalon/nail-salon-health-hazards.aspx>.

“New Health Hazards in Salons and Spas”. CNN Health. March 23,2011. June 6 2012.                     <http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/23/salon.spa.hazards/index.html>.

“BC Government Announces Tanning Beds banned for Teens.” News 1130. March 20 2012. June 6,2012.                                       <http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/342856--bc-government-announces-tanning-bed-ban-for-teens>.

“Good and Bad News about Sunless Tanning”. Everyday Health. May 29, 2007. June 7, 2012.          <http://www.everydayhealth.com/blog/zimney-health-and-medical-news-you-can-use/good-and-bad-news-about-sunless-tanning/>.

“Indoor Tanning”. Teens health.org. June 6,2012. <http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/skin_stuff/indoor_tans.html>.

                                                                            

“Radiological health- Indoor Tanning”. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. June 7,2012.                                        <http://www.scdhec.gov/health/radhlth/tanning-under-18.htm>

Videos

"Banning Tanning for B.C. Youth". ProvinceofBC. March 20,2012. June 7,2012.

 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36q-LeFYZYg>