WASHINGTON, DC — Today Reps. Henry A. Waxman, Diana DeGette, Frank Pallone, Jr., Rosa L. DeLauro, and Carolyn B. Maloney sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg urging the agency to take action on recommendations by the FDA’s General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel. Over two years ago, the panel recommended many safeguards that FDA could implement to protect consumers from the serious and deadly cancer risks posed by tanning beds.

In the letter, the members cite their recently released undercover staff investigation, which found that tanning salons target teenage girls with advertising and promotions, deny known risks of indoor tanning, provide false information on the benefits of tanning, and fail to follow recommendations by the FDA on tanning frequency.

In the letter, the members state, “Indoor tanning beds present a serious risk of skin cancer, yet as our investigation demonstrates, they are not being properly regulated. …Your own expert panel reached a similar conclusion nearly two years ago. Nonetheless, these dangerous devices are still widely available to young people, and salons do not provide accurate warnings or guidance. We believe further delay is not in the interest of the health of teenage girls.”

The full text of the letter is available online here. The complete report on the tanning industry’s false and mislead practices in available online here.