Regulation of Tanning Salons
Culminating years of hard work by PAMED and its allies, On May 6, 2014, Governor Corbett signed a new law banning use of tanning facilities by minors under the age of 17 and requiring parental consent for seventeen-year-olds. The new law (formerly HB 1259, now Act 41) also requires:
- Tanning facilities to post warning signs on the premises , and keep records for three years
- Customers to sign a written warning statement prior to tanning
- Tanning devices to meet federal and state standards
- Employees of tanning facilities to have training in both the use of the devices and recognition of customer skin types.
There have been several versions of tanning bills over the years supported by the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED), the Pennsylvania Academy of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery, and the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. In past sessions tanning legislation would pass the Senate but stall in the House. However, persistence has paid off, and the new law goes into effect on July 5, 2014.
