County to monitor public tanning beds

Union County wants to make sure people who use public tanning beds in the county are not getting half baked.

Monday, the Union County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance that will have the county’s environmental health department inspect the use and condition of the beds. There are eight beds available but Union County Environmental Health employee Amanda Husband said two are expected to be shut down in the near future because the business housing them is closing.

What had been under state supervision was handed to the counties during the pandemic. The annual fee is $33 per bed, set by the state.

“The inspection involves is spelled out in state code, records, equipment, meaning the beds, and make sure they are licensed with the state, operators have taken their tests and go through all their records making sure they are not allowing people to tan too often,” said Husband.

Husband said tanning bed manufactures include a frequency of use because of their UV light strength. Some are 24 hours and some are 48-hour beds. That means the amount of time a person has to wait between use of the bed. The amount of time spent in the bed is another factor.

“If they have a brand new client that comes in they have to note if they let them bump up to the maximum limits,” she said.

Supervisor Rick Friday asked about people who use multiple tanning beds.

“That would be hard to catch,” Husband said. “Most people are not desperate to bounce. They are going to stay where they are going to stay. I can’t regulate that person. I regulate that facility,” she said. “Tanning is a cancer risk. If we can regulate that you are doing that in the safest way possible, we want to prevent any of the unsafe things,” she said.

There are no age limits who can use tanning beds.

Angie Wilmer, owner of Studio 101 in Creston with various tanning beds, agrees with the popularity of beds.

“We have had people stand in line to wait to use a certain bed,” she said. She has four in her business including a stand-up.

She is preparing for a busier time of the year as early March is when high school girls begin tanning sessions for prom. Studio 101 has customers in their 70s. Most of her customers are women.

Husband said she knows of people who tan on a regular schedule, year round. “Those are the folks you will see at maximum tanning minutes,” she said. Time spent in the beds can range from 10 to 30 minutes.

“Vacations, weddings, graduations; people have reasons they want to tan,” Wilmer said.

Husband said the initial license is issued by the state and the county will handle the inspection.

She said the function of the actual bed is also part of the inspection. Husband said people who use tanning beds are covered by the canopy of the bed. The user of the bed must be able to easily open the canopy of the bed to get out.

“Those hinges have to be in good repair,” she said.

Wimber agreed.

“You can’t control what happens when they close the door,” she said as each bed is in its own private room.

Wimber said the hinges must be able for the canopy to stay open in any position.

The operator of the bed must be close enough to hear customers using the bed if they scream during an emergency. Customers who use earphones while in the bed must have access to a remote device to notify the operator for any emergency. Husband said tanning beds give off heat and can cause side effects with certain medications.

Dana Kuehl said she purchased a bed for use at her home.

“The ones I’ve went to, I didn’t get the results I was looking for,” she said. “And this way I have the convenience with the schedule as it can get hard during peak season.”

She also likes the other benefits than darker colored skin.

“It’s therapeutic. If I need a quick nap or it’s cold outside and I can’t warm up,” she said. She said she normally spends 15 minutes in the bed. She needed to install a 220 volt outlet for the bed. Kuehl said she knows people who own tanning beds as a business and have informed her about how often to use hers.

Husband explained how sheets of acrylic are between the the light bulbs and the user. She said over time the acrylic can crack and be a pinch or scratch hazard to a user knowing how much skin is exposed during the session.

“The acrylic usually lasts four years,” Wimber said. “But someone can turn over and put an elbow in it and it cracks, or get on it with their knees.” She said it costs several hundred dollars to replace the acrylic.

Tanning beds where the user is laying down is surrounded by the bulbs. There are models where the user stands. Husband said it is common for tanning bed manufacturers to have information about what bulbs can be used in their models.

Supervisors agreed to waive second and third readings of the ordinance and approve the ordinance.