Download Youth Skin Cancer Prevention Act - Western Carolina Medical Society

North Carolina Dermatology Association
PO Box 27167  Raleigh, NC 27611
Phone: 919-833-3836  Fax: 919-833-2023
www.ncderm.org  [email protected]
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Youth Skin Cancer Prevention Act
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The Youth Skin Cancer Prevention Act would protect children from the dangers of skin cancer
by banning children under the age of 18 from indoor tanning facilities in North Carolina. This
legislation was approved by the NC House of Representatives in March, 2013 and remains
eligible for consideration by the NC Senate in 2014.
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Supported by: the NC Dermatology Association, NC Pediatric Society, the NC Medical Society,
the American Cancer Society, NC Oncology Association, NC Child Fatality Task Force, the NC
Advisory Committee on Cancer Coordination and Control and Western Carolina Medical
Society among other organizations.
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Melanoma is dangerous and deadly. Cases are on the rise, especially among teens.
o Indoor tanning has now been linked to more cases of cancer than smoking
o 76,250 new cases of melanoma in 2012 across the US; 2,360 new cases of
melanoma in NC
o Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old
and the second most common form of cancer for adolescents and young adults 1529 years old.
o An individual’s current chances of getting melanoma are 1 in 74. In 1980, they
were 1 in 250. In 1930, it was 1 in 1,500. By 2015, the risk that an individual will
get melanoma is expected to be 1 in 50.
o The estimated total direct cost associated with the treatment of melanoma in 2010
was $2.36 billion. Since 2008, NC Medicaid, the State Employees Health Plan and
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of NC spent more than $115 million on the diagnosis and
treatment of skin cancer.
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Science has shown that there is a clear link between indoor tanning facilities and melanoma.
o In a controlled study, 76% of melanomas were attributable to ever-use (even one
session) of an indoor tanning device.
o UV radiation in tanning booths can be up to 15 times greater than the sun.
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Teens are a strong and growing market for tanning facilities.
o 76% of teens live within two miles of a tanning salon.
o More than one quarter of 17 year olds and one in five 16 year olds have used
indoor tanning facilities.
o On an average day in the United States, more than 1 million people tan in tanning
salons; nearly 70 percent are Caucasian women and girls, primarily aged 16 to 29
years.
The mission of the North Carolina Dermatology Association is to bring into one federated organization the
dermatologists of North Carolina so that they may interact for the purposes of professional education, advocacy for
quality patient care and advancement of the practice of dermatology. For more information, visit www.ncderm.org.
North Carolina Dermatology Association
PO Box 27167  Raleigh, NC 27611
Phone: 919-833-3836  Fax: 919-833-2023
www.ncderm.org  [email protected]

Current NC law prohibits anyone under the age of 13 from using a tanning bed; teenager
must have parent permission to do so. Six states – including TX, IL, VT, CA and NV – prohibit
minors from using tanning beds; at least a dozen more are currently debating doing so.
The mission of the North Carolina Dermatology Association is to bring into one federated organization the
dermatologists of North Carolina so that they may interact for the purposes of professional education, advocacy for
quality patient care and advancement of the practice of dermatology. For more information, visit www.ncderm.org.