by John P. Ribner

Editor’s Note: California Assemblyman Joe Nation is the author of AB 2193, a bill that affects tanning salon owners throughout the state. Because of its impact, Island Sun Times thought it would be a good idea to hear Mr. Nation’s views on indoor tanning. This story is the result of IST Head Writer John P. Ribner’s recent conversation with the Assemblyman.

Of all the tanning industry’s detractors, California Assemblyman Joe Nation is perhaps its most persistent.

In the great state of California, there lives a politician who believes children should be protected from indoor tanning; he is Assemblyman Joe Nation, author of a bill – AB 2193 – that further regulates tanning in the Golden State. When his first attempt at passing the it failed, Nation didn’t give up. His second try was a winner, much to the disappointment of tanning salon owners throughout the state and beyond. 

Nation’s battle with indoor tanning is one that he takes personally. “I played competitive tennis in high school and college, and my doctors told me that the sun exposure I received back then contributed to my developing melanoma,” Nation explained. “Fortunately, they were able to detect it in time and remove it.” Although Nation admits his melanoma was not the result of indoor tanning – he’s never used a tanning unit – he believes AB 2193 will help to lower skin cancer rates throughout California. “Tanning beds are 10 to 15 times more damaging to the skin than sunlight,” he commented. “The tanning industry is selling a product that’s dangerous and they’re targeting it to children.”

Nation is convinced that indoor tanning exposes people to, in his words, a “known carcinogen.” And he bases his opinions about indoor tanning on the science that he will continue to rely upon – the science of the National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Dermatologists, that is. Nation says he’s not willing to consider any of the current research that’s being done into the positive benefits of moderate sun exposure and its link to vitamin D production. “That research is being funded by the indoor tanning industry, and that industry has misrepresented the facts,” he commented. Nation does believe people need sunlight – about 10 to 15 minutes a week is fine, according to him. He also said he heard from one dermatologist that exposure to fluorescent lights offers benefits similar to moderate sunlight exposure, although he admitted to not having all the details regarding this information. (You can be sure that Island Sun Times will be the first to bring you this “groundbreaking” information as soon as it’s made public!)

The first draft of AB 2193 would have required anyone under the age of 18 to have a doctor’s permission to tan indoors. This initial bill passed the Assembly but was shot down in the Senate 9-19. Despite this defeat, Nation didn’t just throw in the towel. He was bound and determined to further regulate indoor tanning in California, so he went back to the drawing board and rewrote the bill – it bans tanning for anyone under 14, and requires written parental consent for tanners aged 14-17. After some minor rewrites by the Senate, the bill passed both houses and was then approved by Governor Schwarzenegger. “I believe that tanning is very much like smoking, and adults can make that decision for themselves, but not children,” Nation stated.

Apparently, the indoor tanning industry isn’t the only one to take notice of Nation’s efforts. Due to his success with AB 2193, the California Society for Dermatology and Dermatological Surgery awarded Nation its inaugural “Legislator of the Year” Award.