Health Canada proposes tough new warnings for tanning equipment
May 17, 2004

OTTAWA (CP) - Mark Moxness says he doesn't worry much about skin cancer when he basks under the sun lamps at his favourite tanning salon.

"We all have a bit of vanity, we think we look better with a little darker skin tones," said Moxness, who runs an Ottawa auto-parts business.

"Probably like a lot of people, I don't really think about the risks."

He said the studio he visits even assures him its equipment poses no health risks.

Health Canada is stepping in to set the record straight for Moxness and millions of other Canadians who like a tan for all seasons.

Under proposed new regulations, sunlamps would have to carry eye-catching, yellow signs with the heading: "Danger. Ultraviolet Radiation." Detailed warnings would follow in smaller print.

"Tanning is not safe, causes skin damage and can promote the development of skin cancer," says an analysis of the proposed amendments to the Radiation Emitting Devices Act.

Citing studies by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, it says using a sun bed each week from age 20 doubles the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer by age 45.

Skin cancer rates in Canada have been soaring, and it's estimated one in six people will get some form of the disease in their lifetime.

Manufacturers would be required to introduce a new way of calculating maximum exposure times, taking into account skin sensitivity and the power of the lamps.

Tanning devices have become more powerful since existing regulations took effect in 1980, Health Canada expert Pascale Reinhardt said in an interview Wednesday.

She said the new regulations apply to the manufacturers of tanning equipment, not the salons. The regulations won't be retroactive, so existing sunlamps can remain in use.

Tanning studios opposed the new regulations, especially the warning signs. But dermatologists pushed for even tougher rules.

Reinhardt said there are at least 3,000 tanning salons across the country, and their clientele includes about 10 per cent of the population between 15 and 35 years of age.

"It's starting younger and younger now," she said. "Most of them (the clients) are women."

She said many clients don't seem to realize the risks, and the regulations are intended to improve awareness.

"Some surveys have been done and it seems people don't care."

The proposed regulations are open to public comment before they become law.