Young Doctor Becomes Crusader To Keep Teens Out Of Tanning Beds

The FDA has just put in a place some new guidelines for indoor tanning beds and booths, but the state of Missouri is going even further.

A bill signed into law today by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon requires anyone under 17 to get parental consent before using a tanning bed or booth.

The person behind the law is Dr. Brundha Balaraman, a dermatology resident at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She pushed for seven years to get the bill approved by state lawmakers.

“We have a social responsibility to educate people and protect children,” Balaraman told Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson. “I truly hope and want to push the FDA to seriously consider banning the tan and I hope it doesn’t take another 20 years.”

• Read the study co-authored by Dr. Balaraman in the journal Pediatrics

Guest

• Dr. Brundha Balaraman, dermatology resident at the Washington University School of Medicine.

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