The Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) is really feeling the heat these days.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it would finally act on congressional orders to take a closer look at tanning bed labels (see my earlier post), and now the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said it has exacted a settlement from the ITA to cease and desist "false health and safety claims about indoor tanning."
The agency’s complaint followed a widely reviled March 2008 ITA advertising campaign that set out to dispel what it called myths about melanoma and skin cancer. Among other claims in that campaign, according to the FTC, the ITA claimed that indoor tanning is approved by the government, and that a National Academy of Sciences study showed the risk of not getting enough ultraviolet light outweighed the "hypothetical" risk of skin cancer.
So what does the ITA have to do to make amends?
Deceptive advertisements are barred. Health benefit claims for indoor tanning have to be substantiated. And advertisements have to carry the following boldfaced warning: "NOTICE: Exposure to ultraviolet radiation may increase the likelihood of developing skin cancer and can cause serious eye injury."
Although all four members of the FTC agreed that this settlement is proper, it is still subject to a 30-day comment period. That means indoor tanning enthusiasts have until Feb. 26 to try to change the agency’s mind. After that, the settlement is final.
--- Alicia Ault (on Twitter @aliciaault)
Image Courtesy Flickr user jasonippolito, Creative Commons attribution license