The Indoor Tanning Association issued the following statement this week about its settlement agreement reached with the Federal Trade Commission regarding advertising placed in March 2008:1. Our settlement with the FTC allows the ITA to continue to have a meaningful voice in the ongoing public debate over the health benefits of appropriate exposure to ultraviolet light, including vitamin D production in the body, as well as the risks of overexposure.

2. As the FTC¹s consent order states, the settlement agreement is for settlement purposes only and does not constitute an admission by the ITA that it made misrepresentations or violated any law.

3. The ITA’s mission involves working with federal and state governments to ensure that the freedom of individuals to acquire a suntan indoors or outdoors is not restricted and to strengthen and advance this position through careful research and responsible education efforts. The FTC settlement has no adverse effect on the important lobbying efforts the ITA performs for the industry.

4. In addition, the FTC does not dispute the ITA’s position that your body produces vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun or a tanning bed. In fact, the settlement provides specific language for the ITA to use when making health benefit claims about vitamin D production that acknowledges the production of vitamin D from ultraviolet light.

5. The ITA has always sought to follow all applicable laws, including its responsibility to make truthful and non-deceptive advertising claims. As a result of this process with the FTC, we are now aware of the specific disclaimer the FTC requires for certain health claims. Thus, the settlement provides the ITA, and the indoor tanning industry, with important guidance from the FTC when making these types of advertising claims in the future.