Hawaii To Ban Certain Sunscreens To Protect Coral Reefs (npr.org)

Hawaii lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that would prohibit the sale of over-the-counter sunscreens containing chemicals they say are contributing to the destruction of the state's coral reefs and other ocean life. NPR reports: The chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are used in more than 3,500 of the world's most popular sunscreen products, including Hawaiian Tropic, Coppertone and Banana Boat, would be prohibited. Prescription sunscreens containing those chemicals would still be permitted. As NPR reported, a 2015 study of coral reefs in Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Israel determined oxybenzone "leaches the coral of its nutrients and bleaches it white. It can also disrupt the development of fish and other wildlife." Even a small drop is enough to damage delicate corals. At the time, researchers estimated about 14,000 tons of sunscreen lotions end up in coral reefs around the world each year. Opposition to the ban came from sunscreen manufacturers, including Bayer, the maker of Coppertone. And the state's major doctors group said the ban goes too far. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser wrote: "Bayer said there are limited, active ingredients available within the U.S. with the same proven effectiveness as oxybenzone for sunscreens over SPF 50. The Hawaii Medical Association said it wanted the issue to be studied more deeply because there was a lack of peer-reviewed evidence suggesting sunscreen is a cause of coral bleaching, and overwhelming evidence that not wearing sunscreen increases cancer rates."

Comments

Re: inb4

[stealth_finger]

Fuck white people. If they lack the evolutionary protection from the Sun, then why don't they, you know, stay in the shade. Why should they get to destroy the fucking planet so they can have some fun?

Fuck white people and their consumerist self-gratifying culture.

You do know darker folk are perfectly capable of getting skin cancer, right?

Good for humans, too.

[jddj]

The "active ingredients" being banned also degrade into end products that can mimic hormones, and/or promote skin cancer ( says the Environmental Working Group: https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/... ).

Better for you (and maybe for coral) are sunscreens with mineral filters like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.

And nobody needs sunscreen over 50SPF, no matter what the manufacturers say. At 50, you're already protecting yourself from the sun AND the moon ('cuz you have equivalent-hours protection for way more hours than the sun is up).

Re:inb4

[DarkOx]

No sounds like regulation having unintended consequences. FDA decided to be super conservative about what chemistry you can put on people; to bad that forced the use of stuff that was a great deal more environmentally destructive.