Md. Pitches Tighter Rules For Minor Indoor Tanning

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is proposing a six-month expiration of parental consent for minor indoor tanning.

The agency released the proposal for public comment Monday.

Current state regulations allow parents to set a date on which their permission expires. If no date is specified, a minor child can use the same parental consent form for indoor tanning until age 18.

The changes would require parents to renew their consent every six months.

Another change would make parents specify the number of authorized visits. The options would no longer include a box labeled, "unlimited."

The proposed consent form also describes the risks of indoor tanning in simpler language. It says: "Indoor tanning causes skin cancer. Skin cancer can be fatal."

Comments are being accepted through June 13.

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