Senate passes bill to ban tanning for minors

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — The Rhode Island Senate has passed a bill that would prohibit people under 18 years old from using tanning facilities in the state.

Rhode Island law already requires minors to have written consent from parents to use a tanning facility, but this law would remove that option. The bill includes an exemption for minors with a prescription for "ultraviolet radiation treatment."

The legislation was sponsored by Democratic Senate Majority Whip Maryellen Goodwin.

Goodwin says evidence of the dangers of tanning is overwhelming, citing data from the Skin Cancer Foundation that shows one tanning session before the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma by 75 percent.