California has become the first US state to ban the use of sunbeds for anyone
under the age of 18.
The bill was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on Sunday and will come into effect
on 1 January.
State senator Ted Lieu, who sponsored the bill, said youngsters needed to be
protected from the "lethally dangerous" radiation used in sunbeds.
Many states regulate the use of sunbeds, but California is the first to ban
their use for most teenagers.
The US Indoor Tanning Association told the Associated Press that under 18s made
up between 5% to 10% of its customers and the new law would hurt businesses.
'Rising epidemic'
Governor Brown's office said the bill was part of a cluster of legislation he
had signed designed to "improve the health and well-being of Californians".
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If everyone knew the true dangers of tanning beds, they'd be shocked
Ted Lieu California state senator
Under current law in California, children under the age of 14 are already
banned from using sunbeds but those aged between 15 and 17 can use them with
permission from their parents.
Texas has banned the use of sunbeds for youngsters under the age of 16, and
other states are considering a ban for under 18s, Senator Lieu was quoted by AP
as saying.
He said a higher age limit was needed because of evidence showing the
cancer-causing effects from the "ultraviolent-emitting radiation" from sunbeds
- particularly for those using them from a young age.
"If everyone knew the true dangers of tanning beds, they'd be shocked," he
said. "Skin cancer is a rising epidemic and the leading cause of cancer death
for women between 25 and 29."
In 2009, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on
Cancer (IARC) concluded that sunbeds are "carcinogenic to humans" and moved
them into its highest cancer risk category.
It made its decision following a review of research which concluded that the
risk of melanoma - the most deadly form of skin cancer - was increased by 75%
in people who started using sunbeds regularly before the age of 30.
England and Wales introduced a ban on the use of sunbeds for under 18s in April
2011, following a similar ban in Scotland. Brazil has banned the use of sunbeds
completely.