Illinois city prohibits teens from indoor tanning

Springfield, Ill. - Springfield is the latest Illinois city to ban teens from indoor tanning. The city council approved a measure to keep teenagers ages 14 to 17 out of tanning salons, even with parental consent.

In a 7-3 vote, the council approved the new rules, which call for first-offense fines of $75 to $750 to businesses that allow minors to tan. A second offense will cost the violator a minimum of $250, the State-Journal Register reports.

The ban, which goes into effect Jan. 1, will be enforced by the county’s public health department. The Chicago City Council passed a similar ban in June. Across the U.S. and globally, restrictions and bans on indoor tanning for minors are becoming more common.

“I think it will hasten the day when the state of Illinois will ban this statewide,” Springfield alderman Sam Cahnman is quoted as saying. “I think that day is coming, but I think the legislature was wanting to see more and more cities adopt it first.”

The American Academy of Dermatology applauded the law’s passage, calling it an effort in the fight against melanoma.

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