Overview
- HHS withdrew an FDA plan that would have blocked under‑18 access to indoor tanning and required users to sign risk acknowledgments.
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said thousands of public comments raised scientific and technical issues and possible unintended effects, and he said the agency will reconsider its approach.
- Skin‑cancer experts cite the WHO’s Group 1 carcinogen listing for tanning beds and research tying use before age 35 to about a 75% higher melanoma risk.
- With no new federal policy announced, protections now depend on local laws, with 19 states and Washington, D.C., already banning minors from tanning salons.
- The move follows years of pushback from dermatologists and support from tanning businesses, as melanoma diagnoses have risen by roughly 46% over the past decade.