The FDA announced a reclassification of
tanning beds and the lamps used in them, moving them from low- to moderate-risk
devices and ordered that they are to carry a warning label against use by
anyone under 18 years of age.
by John
Tyburski
Copyright © Daily
Digest News, KPR Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
On Thursday,
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a
reclassification of sunlamp devices and ultraviolet (UV) lamps intended for use
in sunlamp devices. The decision involves bringing these devices up from class
I, low-risk, to class II, moderate-risk. Tanning beds and the lamps used in
them emit UV light that can have adverse effects on the skin. The decision also
brings a requirement that these devices have on them visible warning labels
against use by anyone under the age of 18. How the devices are now marketed
will also be affected.
Sunlamp
devices, including tanning beds and booths, emit UV radiation, a non-ionizing
form of invisible light that is associated with elevated risk of skin cancer. The
American Academy of Dermatology estimates that risk for developing melanoma,
the most deadly form of skin cancer, increases almost 60 percent for indoor
tanning device users. The risk for melanoma is additive in that each session
raises the overall risk incrementally, much like smoking cigarettes
incrementally increase the risk of lung cancer.
“Although
some people think that a tan gives them a ‘healthy’ glow, any tan is a sign of
skin damage,” said FDA scientist and UV expert Sharon Miller.
“A tan is the
skin’s reaction to exposure to UV rays,” said Miller. “Recognizing exposure to
the rays as an ‘insult,’ the skin acts in self-defense by producing more
melanin, a pigment that darkens the skin. Over time, this damage will lead to
prematurely aged skin and, in some cases, skin cancer.”
The sun
emits two types of UV radiation that both penetrate the skin. UV-A rays
penetrate deep into the skin and cause tanning, whereas UV-B rays stop just
under the surface of the skin and are responsible for causing “sunburn.”
Sunlamps mostly emit UV-A but also emit a smaller percentage of UV-B. Both are
linked to skin cancer.
More
information is available from the FDA’s consumer updates website.
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