FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution, Article 11, Section 15 provides: 
The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the 
people and instill health consciousness among them. 
Indoor tanning is a $2 billion industry in the United States. It has been reported 
in numerous articles and medical journals that it is not just the sun that increases a 
person's risk of getting skin cancer. A 2002 Dartmouth University study found that 
tanning device users had 2.5 times the risk of squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times the 
risk of basal cell carcinoma. Despite these astounding statistics, tanning bed use 
continues to increase and individuals are still under the impression that indoor tanning is 
safer than the outdoor sun. 
We cannot warn people enough of the major role indoor tanning plays in 
potentially being diagnosed with skin cancer. Because it is the one cancer that is very 
preventable, consumers should be empowered with the latest and most up-to-date 
information possible. 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) 
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OF THE PHILPPINES 
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First Regular Session 
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Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago 
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AN ACT 
REGULATING TANNING FACILITIES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Tanning Facility Regulatory 
Act of 2008.” 
SECTION 2. Purpose. - It is the purpose of this Act to - 
(A) protect the public from the harmful effects of tanning equipment; 
(B) inform the public of the risks involved in tanning; and 
(C) provide guidelines for the proper operation of a tanning business. 
SECTION 3. Dejhition of terms. -As used in this Act, the term- 
(A) “Consumer” means any member of the public who is provided access to a tanning 
facility in exchange for a fee or other compensation, or any individual who, in exchange 
for a fee or other compensation, is afforded use of a tanning facility as a condition or 
benefit of membership or access; 
(B) “Department” means the Department of Health; 
(C) “Fee” means the payment or exchange of goods, or anything of value for use of the 
tanning facility or facilities; 
(D) “Tanning equipment” means sunlamp products and ultraviolet lamps intended to 
induce skin tanning through the irradiation of any part of the living body; 
(E) “Tanning facility” means a room or a booth or group of rooms or booths that houses 
ultraviolet lamps or products containing lamps intended for the irradiation of any part of 
(1) 


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the living human body for cosmetic or nonmedical related purposes but does not include 
any hotel or motel guest rooms where sunlamps are installed in the restroom area. 
SECTION 4. Permit Requirement. - 
(A) A permit issued by the Department shall be required prior to the operation of any 
tanning facility used by the public for a fee or other compensation. The owner of the 
facility shall file an application for a permit with the Department on a form prescribed by 
the Department 
(B) All permits issued by the Department under this Act shall expire on a specified date 
and may be renewed by submission to the Department at least 30 days before the 
expiration date a permit renewal application. 
(C) The Department may refuse to renew the permit of any owner or operator who has 
been found to be in violation of this Act for the safe operation of tanning facilities. 
(D) Each tanning facility shall be inspected at least once each year after the initial year in 
which the facility was granted a permit. 
SECTION 5. Requirements for a permit. - Before an operator may be granted a permit, 
he must comply with the following requirements- 
(A) For each sunlamp product and ultraviolet lamp, the ratio of the irradiance within the 
wavelength range of 200 through 400 nanometers shall not exceed 0.003 at any distance 
or direction from the product or lamp.; 
(B) Each sunlamp shall incorporate a timing device with multiple timer settings adequate 
for the manufacturer's recommended exposure intervals to produce the expected results. 
The timing device shall not provide a timing interval in excess of the product's 
recommended maximum exposure time, or 10 minutes. This requirement does not 
preclude the ability of the user to reset the time. The timer may not automatically reset 
and cause radiation emission to resume for a period greater than the unused portion of the 
timer cycle when emission from the sunlamp product has been terminated; 


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(C) Each sunlamp product shall incorporate a control on the product to enable the user to 
manually terminate radiation without pulling the electrical plug or coming in contact with 
the ultraviolet lamp. 
(D) Each sunlamp product shall be accompanied by the number of sets of protective 
eyewear that is equal to the maximum number of persons intended to be exposed 
simultaneously to product radiation. The eyewear shall be provided by the manufacturer 
and shall meet or exceed his product recommendations. All protective eyewear shall be 
properly sanitized prior to each use. 
(E) Each ultraviolet lamp contained within the sunlamp product shall be shielded so as to 
not come into contact with the user. A screen or transparent cover shall be used for this 
purpose. 
(F) Each sunlamp product in which the person is in a standing position shall provide a 
handrail for the user to hold onto during operation of tanning facility. Each tanning 
facility shall have, clearly marked, the appropriate position the user is to assume prior to 
operation. 
(G) Each sunlamp product shall prominently display the following wanling label: 
"DANGER - Ultraviolet radiation. Follow instructions. As with natural sunlight, 
overexposure can cause eye injury and sunburn, repeated exposure may cause 
premature aging of the skin and skin cancer. Medications or cosmetics applied to 
the skin may increase your sensitivity to ultraviolet light. Consult a physician 
before using lamp if taking any medication or if you believe yourself especially 
sensitive to sunlight." 
(H) Each tanning facility shall be so equipped to dissipate heat that the interior 
temperature does not exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 34 degrees centigrade. 
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SECTION 6. Operating requirements.-Each 
tanning facility shall have on hand at all 
times an operator adequately trained in the correct operation of the facility so as to be 
able to inform and assist the public in its proper use. Each operator shall perform the 
following functions as a precondition to the public having access to the tanning facility 
(3) 


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being made to the public: 
(A) The operator shall require each person desiring to use the facility to fill out a 
form specifying any and all prescription medicines and over-the-counter medications they 
are presently taking. The form shall be kept as a permanent record of the individual's 
attendance and progress; 
(B) The operator shall require each person desiring to use a tanning facility to use 
protective eyewear; 
(C) The operator shall instruct the user in the proper position to maintain in 
relation to the tanning lamps within the facility; the position of the safety railing, if 
applicable; the manual switching device to terminate the radiation in case of emergency; 
and a recommended time of exposure; 
(D) The operator shall monitor the use of the facility to ensure that the interior 
temperature does not exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 34 degrees centigrade; 
(E) The operator shall inspect the facility to ensure that the floors are dry. The 
floors are to be made dry prior to each individual's use; 
(F) The operator shall give each person using the facility a written copy of the 
warning required under this Act prior to each person's use of the facility. The operator 
shall post signs warning consumers of the potential effects of radiation on persons taking 
medication and the relationship of radiation to skin cancer; 
(G) The operator shall be responsible for proper sanitizing procedures for all 
sunlamp equipment and protective eyewear between every user. 
SECTION 7. Penalties. -The Department is empowered to establish and assess penalties 
or fines against apermit holder for violations of this Act or regulations adopted under this Act. In 
no circumstance will any penalties or fines exceed P10,OOO.OO per day for each day the permit 
holder remains in violation. 


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valid and subsisting. 
SECTION 8. Separability Clause. - If any provision, or part hereof is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain 
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SECTION 9. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or inconsistent 
with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly. 
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Approved, 
SECTION 10. Efecectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.