A move by the province to ban youth from using tanning beds has touched off a debate among the North Shore's tanning studio owners as to who should be responsible for deciding when teens can tan.
Health Minister Michael de Jong announced the new rule Tuesday after releasing a report that concludes the risk of skin cancer for young people who tan indoors is simply too high.
"Unfortunately, cancer affects thousands of British Columbian families, with one in three people expected to develop some form of cancer . . . in their lifetime," de Jong said in a press release. "After a great deal of consideration of clinical evidence, commissioning a report to provide options, and listening to what local governments had to say at the Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention last year, government has decided to restrict access to tanning beds for young people under the age of 18."
Once the regulations take effect in the fall, teens will only be able to use commercial tanning beds with a medical prescription for conditions like psoriasis.
Tanning studios caught violating the ban will be subject to a $300 fine.
Studio owners on the North Shore greeted the announcement with mixed reviews.
Rod Hall, owner of three Beach Tanning locations in North and West Vancouver, said this is a case of over-regulation by government. "We definitely believe the ban goes too far," he said. "We were hoping that the parents were going to have the right to make this choice for their teens."
Hall said parents often bring their kids in for a brief session to build up a base before going on vacation to sunny destinations where they are more likely to get a sunburn. Hall said he doesn't have many under-18 clients at his Clyde Avenue or Woodbine Drive locations, but his Lynn Valley Village location has several.
"I'd say maybe 10 per cent. It's not a lot but it's enough," he said.
Domenic Trinetti, owner of Ultra-Glow Tanning Studio on Third Street, said the age limits are reasonable.
"I don't think they've gone too far; it's fair enough. For someone who's 16 or under, they're not fully aware of things, and they can't make their own decisions. When you're over 18, it's different," he said.
Trinetti said he only has 10 or 11 regular customers who are under 18 - maybe four per cent of his client base - and he doesn't allow anyone under 18 to tan unless they have their parents' consent.
But, he added, there is nothing to prevent kids from doing the same damage to their skin outside naturally.
"If those kids that are 16, 15, or 14, are going to go to the beach, they're going to put baby oil all over their bodies and burn all day," he said, comparing that to spending just a few minutes in the controlled environment in a tanning bed.
Most reputable tanning studios would never allow a young person to come in too often or spend too much time in a tanning bed anyway, Trinetti added.
A World Health Organization study the government consulted in its report found indoor tanning before the age of 35 raises the risk of melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, by 75 per cent.
