CANADIAN SKIN PATIENT ALLIANCE APPLAUDS INTRODUCTION OF TEEN TANNING BED BAN BILL IN NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR LEGISLATURE
Ottawa, Ontario, June 7, 2011 – Yesterday, Susan Sullivan, Minister of Health and Community Services for Newfoundland and Labrador introduced legislation in the province’s legislature to ban the use of tanning beds by people under 19 throughout the Province.
“We strongly support the adoption of An Act to Regulate the Personal Services Industry – there is no such thing as a ‘safe tan’ ”, said Christine Janus, Executive Director of the Canadian Skin Patient Alliance. “Skin cancers are preventable and tanning salons are one of the leading causes of melanoma. We join Canada’s dermatologists and skin cancer survivors in calling on all members of the House of Assembly to join the growing national movement to protect Canada’s young and old alike from dangerous practice of tanning”.
Under the bill, people under the age of 19 would be prohibited from using indoor tanning facilities. The most deadly and common form of skin cancer, melanoma, is one of the most common cancers among people 15 to 29 years of age.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s bill puts the province at the forefront of a growing Canadian and international movement to reduce skin cancers. An age limit on indoor tanning is already in effect in Nova Scotia, while Quebec and British Columbia introduced similar legislation earlier this yearOntario NDP's health critic has introduced a private members' bill with the same goal. Conservative MP James Bezan tabled a private member's bill last month in Parliament. Cities such as Victoria, B.C., have instituted similar bans at the municipal level. In the United States, both Vermont and California now prohibit the use of indoor tanning beds by minors under the age of 18. Five Australian states, France and 23 states in the United States have bans on minors using tanning beds.
“This is a wonderful way to end off May’s Melanoma Awareness Month”, Janus said “Close to 5000 Canadians are diagnosed with melanoma annually, and Canadians born in the 1990s are two to three times more likely to develop skin cancer than those born in the 1960s.Tanning needs to join smoking as top priorities in protecting the health of young Canadians”.
About the CSPA
Founded in 2007, The Canadian Skin Patient Alliance (CSPA) is a by patients-for-patients, resource and community for all skin patients living with a skin conditions and disorders. As a national umbrella organization for Canadian not-for-profit patient groups and organizations that deal with skin conditions and diseases, the CSPA is an important hub of skin-health-related information in Canada. As an advocate for awareness, education, research and access to appropriate care, the CSPA represents the voice of the millions of skin patients and their families.
On January 25th, the CSPA launched Skin Deep: A Report Card on Access to Dermatological Care and Treatment in Canada.The Report Card is the first national comparison of dermatological care and treatment across Canada’s provinces and territories, as well as the federal government’s aboriginal health insurance plan.
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For additional information please visit www.canadianskin.ca or join the conversation on www.twitter.com/canadianskin or www.facebook.com/CanadianSkin
Information:
Mrs. Helen Crawford, Media Liaison
Canadian Skin Patient Alliance
Phone: 1-877-505-2772
Office: 613-440-4260