Twins Tan Ban

Globe Correspondent / March 27, 2008

MILTON - When prom season begins in a few weeks, many of the students attending will have what they consider to be a healthy glow earned from time spent in an indoor tanning salon.

But two Fontbonne Academy students are working to convince their
fellow students that that glow isn't healthy - and can come at a huge price.

Twin sisters Megan and Caitlin Walsh of Norwood, 17-year-old seniors at the school, are seeking pledges from juniors and seniors not to go tanning before the prom, which will be held May 16 at Lombardo's in Randolph.

So far they have obtained pledges from about 100, but they are aiming for 70 percent of both classes.

The issue is personal for the Walsh sisters. Their father, Richard, is battling melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, for the second time.

Overexposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun or from artificial means accounts for between a third and two-thirds of melanoma cases in the United States, researchers say.

The sisters have not made their father's illness the centerpiece of their campaign, although some students are aware of it. "We didn't tell anyone that that's why they should sign the pledge," said Caitlin Walsh.

The pledge drive is the twins' social justice project, required of all Fontbonne students. The girls got the idea for the pledges from the New England chapter of the Melanoma Foundation.

"The younger you start tanning, the more likely you are to develop problems," said Deb Girard, executive director of the Melanoma Foundation, which is sponsoring an awareness program called "Your Skin is In" to discourage teens from going to tanning salons before
their proms. All participating schools able to obtain anti-tanning pledges from 70 percent of students will be entered in a drawing, with the winning school getting $5,000 to spend on its prom.

The foundation and the Massachusetts Society of Dermatologists have backed state legislation to limit the access of teens to indoor tanning studios. The bill, sponsored by state Senator James E. Timilty, a Democrat from Walpole, would ban people younger than 16 from using the salons and require parental consent for those 16 and 17. State law now bans children younger than 14 from using the salons unless they are accompanied by a parent. Parents must give prior written consent for teens from 14 to 17.

The bill has died in committee this session, but Timilty plans on reintroducing it next session.

A spokesman said the indoor tanning industry opposes the Massachusetts bill. "We think parents, not government, should make the decision on whether their children should use tanning salons," said John Overstreet, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based
Indoor Tanning Association.

Overstreet said the indoor tanning industry is already highly regulated in most states, including Massachusetts. "Many times people don't have all the facts," said Overstreet.  "They've been told half a story. Everyone wants to help kids. But we find that when people find out all the facts, they're not as eager to regulate."


He said the owners of tanning salons already work to minimize risks by
monitoring what people are doing and using timers. He also denies that there is any link between indoor tanning and melanoma. "We don't want clients with burns," said Overstreet.

But Girard of the Melanoma Foundation said that people who use a
tanning bed once a month before the age of 35 increases their melanoma risk by 75 percent. She said melanoma is the second most common cancer among women ages 25 to 29, and is increasing at a faster rate than other cancers that affect women.

Unlike most skin cancers, melanoma can be fatal if not caught early. If caught early - before it spreads to internal organs - it is curable.

About a third of melanoma cases are related to exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun or artificial means; another third are related to genetic predisposition; and another third are a combination of exposure and genes, according to Girard. She said ultraviolet rays from both the sun and artificial means, such as tanning salons, pose an equal amount
of risk.

Maria Devine, prom coordinator for Fontbonne Academy, said that members of the school's prom committee met with representatives from the Melanoma Foundation to discuss the situation and help the foundation get feedback on its anti-tanning initiatives.

"We already knew a lot about the effects of tanning and how it can come back and hurt you later in life," said Caitlin Walsh, "but I think it came as a surprise to some of the other girls."

One of the alternatives to using a tanning salon that was discussed was handing out gift certificates for sprays or solutions that tone or darken the skin without using UV rays.

The Walsh sisters say most members of the prom committee have already pledged not to tan before the prom.

The twins know that not everyone agrees with the goals of the drive. Megan Walsh said that some people think the effort is "silly" because most people already know the dangers of too much tanning. And Caitlin Walsh said she and her sister are avoiding "sympathy signers" who would sign the pledge and not follow through.

But even if they don't reach their 70 percent goal they will regard their project as a success.

"This won't be the end," said Megan Walsh. "We'll keep trying to make people aware of the dangers."

Rich Fahey can be reached at Faheywrite@yahoo.com.

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