Rep. John Rusche, the Lewiston Democrat sponsoring the legislation, said he
will be back with the bill next year in attempt to lessen the number of
cases of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, in the state.
“The calculations show that with the reduction of tanning with children
and adolescents, we can save from five to seven Idahoans from deaths each
year from melanoma,” Dr Rusche, a paediatrician, told Reuters on
Thursday.
“There aren’t many efforts we make that can protect that many lives,”
he said.
Exposure to ultraviolet radiation, either from the sun or through tanning beds
or sun lamps, increases the risk of developing skin cancer, for which rates
are rising, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Source: Reuters