Minors will no longer be allowed to use tanning beds in the state of Maryland.
Baltimore, MD – Outreach efforts will be starting this week to notify Maryland residents of a new law prohibiting minors from using tanning beds.
The Maryland law will go into effect Oct. 1, 2019 and will require all tanning facilities to verify ages of customers and to prohibit anyone under the age of 18 from using the facilities.
The Maryland Department of Health is initiating a public outreach campaign outlining health risks of tanning beds and the health regulations for minors.
“This is a law that is absolutely, 100% geared at cancer prevention,” MDH Deputy Secretary for Public Health Fran Phillips said.
Phillips said the law will hopefully reduce the number of melanoma cases in the U.S., with 400,000 estimated cases of skin cancer being caused by tanning beds.
“Melanoma cancer kill thousands and thousands of Americans every year,” Phillips said. “Over 1,700 Marylanders are diagnosed [with melanoma] every year.”