ASA News

Industry Seeks to Minimize Overexposure, Supports Responsible Tanning

NEW YORK (Oct. 15, 2013) – The professional indoor tanning salon community supports initial reports of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s initiative to increase compliance with New York City rules for professional tanning facilities.

The American Suntanning Association – the nation’s largest association of professional suntanning facilities – reached out to the Mayor’s office today to support his initiative. The tanning community has long been a proponent of enforcing existing laws and is already executing many of the precautions laid out in press accounts of Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal. The salon community will support any city-wide effort to increase compliance with the standards already in place in professional salons.

“Our industry has always supported efforts to reduce overexposure and risk. Like many things, UV exposure is all about moderation and responsibility. Salon owners should be held accountable for following regulations and not allow a few bad actors to sully the industry,” American Suntanning Association Advisor Joseph Levy said.

“We agree with the Mayor that there should be additional regulation to crack down on anyone acting irresponsibly and American Suntanning Association salons are happy to work with the Mayor on this initiative,” Levy said.

According to initial media reports, the Mayor’s plan includes the following, all of which the ASA supports:

• Require the health department to inspect tanning salons.
• Crack down on unlicensed operators.
• Require operators of UV equipment to undergo training. Enforce the law that bars
adolescents under 17 from frequenting tanning shops.
• Launch a public education campaign about the dangers of too much UV exposure.

For more information about ASA visit www.TanResponsibly.org.