RFK Jr. public health health policy FDA 2024 election tanning beds skin cancer UV exposure minors carcinogens

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has removed a proposed FDA rule that would have restricted minors’ access to tanning beds and required adults to sign health risk waivers before use, the Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday.

The withdrawn rule, which was proposed earlier in 2024, aimed to curb carcinogenic UV exposure from artificial tanning devices for individuals under 18. It also mandated that participating adults acknowledge the health risks associated with man-made tanning prior to use.

Medical research has long linked ultraviolet exposure to skin damage. Public health agencies began actively discouraging aggressive UV exposure in the mid-1980s, when the FDA started issuing warnings about “tanning pills,” setting exposure limits for sunbeds, and launching national campaigns to educate the public about the cancer risks of artificial tanning.

Kennedy has not formally included bedside tanning in his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, but his personal advocacy for tanning is well-documented. The 72-year-old Health Secretary has been frequently photographed visiting tanning salons in Washington and has publicly praised their benefits. In the lead-up to the 2024 election, Kennedy criticized the FDA’s regulatory stance on “sunshine,” framing it as part of a broader “war” against wellness practices. His fringe supporters have similarly embraced tanning, promoting the abandonment of sunscreen and the development of a “solar callus”—a term describing increased sun tolerance—to reduce perceived risks of UV exposure.

Source: The New Republic
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