William Atkins
Friday, 11 April 2008 21:02
Science -
Health
Page 1 of 4
New South Wales, Australia, is among the growing number of regions regulating and/or banning artificial tanning, commonly called solariums, tanning beds, or sunbeds.
Starting in January 1, 2009, government officials in New South Wales (NSW), a southeastern state of Australia, whose capital is Sydney, will have in place a comprehensive set of regulations for artificial tanning.
Specifically, the regulations will ban the use of solariums of anyone who is under eighteen years of age and very fair-skinned.
Fair-skinned people are those humans classified as "Type 1," or people who never or rarely tan; instead simply burn when exposed to sunlight.
The NSW government believes that artificial tanning is dangerous, especially to teenagers who are the highest users of solariums and to fair-skinned persons.
Officials with the NSW government have also criticized the federal government of Australia for not introducing legislation that would ban the practice of using artificially manufactured tanning devices.
As a result, the NSW government is going ahead with legislation to protect its citizens.
The southeastern Australian state of Victoria, the south central state of South Australia, and Western Australia have already enacted legislation ahead of NSW that regulates and/or bans artificial tanning.
What are solariums? What is tanning from sunlight? What is ultraviolet light, or radiation? Please read on.
