Bad news for aspiring California oranges: after four years of legislative efforts, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law Sunday banning minors from using tanning beds. Although other states have placed regulations on fake-baking for the under-18 crowd, California is the first state to ban it altogether.
State Senator Ted Lieu says the law is a big victory that will “help save lives and prevent unnecessary suffering.” In 2009, the World Health Organization deemed tanning beds and other UV tanning devices “carcinogenic to humans.” Prolonged exposure in such beds can drastically increase the risk of skin cancer. Other countries have taken action against the practice as well. In fact, tanning beds are outlawed completely in Brazil.
Not everyone is happy about the crackdown. Salon owners and teens craving that Jersey Shore glow were quick to balk at the new law, with some owners admitting a good portion of their clientele are teenagers. Disappointed Snooki-lings may want to take a cue from their tangerine idol, though: According to Lieu, the perennially pigmented star has switched to spray-tanning.
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