WEST VIRGINIA-- The West Virginia senate wants to crack down on tanning salons. Senators just passed a bill that would, among other things, make it illegal for kids under the age of 18 to use a tanning bed. The bill is currently moving through the House of Delegates.

One tanning salon owner in Wheeling told NEWS9 that the passing of this bill wouldn't entirely kill her business. She said only 15 to 20 percent of her clientele is under the age of 18, and most of those customers come  in around prom season. She also said most of her profits don't come from that age group but come from older customers that are in the store buying products, along with their tanning sessions.       

Dr. Jondavid Pollock, a radiation oncologist at Wheeling Hospital’s Schiffler Cancer Center, said whether you're going for that mid-summer tan look, or just shining up your skin for prom season, using a tanning bed is a bad idea.

“You know in the wintertime, you're lying completely naked, or maybe with some eye-shields under this cooking lamp, and getting lots of ultraviolet-A,” said Pollock.

Tanning beds emit around 90 percent UVA rays and only about 10 percent UVB rays. Pollock said that while UVB rays, which most sunscreens protect against, cause sunburn, UVA rays can lead to the development of melanoma cancer cells.

“Melanomas are the most dangerous and potentially deadly form of skin cancer, killing many thousands of people unnecessarily in a year in the United States, and we're seeing it in younger and younger people," said Pollock.

“It increases your risk for cancer by multitudes, so I really think it's a dangerous idea," said Brooke Kolar, a nursing student from Fairmount, W.Va.

Those NEWS9 spoke with who tan themselves for summer, winter or just prom season are against the legislation.

"If the parents agree and the kids want to do it, than I think they should be allowed," said Carrie Cuchta of McMechen, W.Va.

Many doctors say getting into a tanning bed is a bad idea, and having the law on their side will only save lives in the long run.

"If there is a way to reduce unnecessarily prolonged ultraviolet-A exposure as there is in tanning booths, we're all for it," said Pollock.

Sen. Orphy Klempa, one of the sponsors of the bill, told NEWS9 the House may have made some minor changes, and if that's the case, the Senate will then have to revote on the bill.

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