Could sunscreen be destroying our coral reefs? Hawaii lawmakers say yes

Hawaii will be the first state banning the sale of sunscreens containing chemicals that are considered to be harmful to the environment. Legislative parliament passed a bill prohibiting the sale and distribution of commercial sunscreen containing oxybenzone or caprylate that turned out to be "genetic damage to coral and other marine organisms" on Tuesday.

"These chemicals also demonstrate the ability to reduce coral resilience and ability to adapt to climate change factors and to prevent new coral replenishment," the law stipulates.

According to the law, swimmers and beaches continue to update and update pollution every day. According to scientific papers in 2015, as many as 14,000 tons of sunscreen are released to coral reefs every year.

CBS journalist Carter Evans explored last summer with an airplane equipped with a special image sensor on the Island of Hawaii. Red in the entire map is dead or dead. (Please view the report at the bottom of this page or click here.)

This is not only Hawaii. Coral reefs are on the verge of extinction all over the world. Scientists say that this is primarily due to rising seawater temperatures, but new evidence shows that certain sunscreens worsen them in popular tourist destinations.

However, some cancer experts have expressed concern that certain sunscreen bans may increase the risk of skin cancer. They cast doubt on science and many environmentally friendly alternatives are more expensive so worried that people will not use sunscreens.

Karen Grants of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center of KGMB-TV, a subsidiary of CBS, says:

This bill is expected to be approved by the Governor of Hawaii, but still it is necessary to pass a legal review. When it comes into effect in January 2021, KGMB-TV reports

In order to protect valuable coral ecosystems in Hawaii, the Legislature passed a bill prohibiting the sale and distribution of sunscreens containing oxybenzone and caprylate on May 1, 2018. If the bill is signed by Governor David Ige, it will come into effect on January 1, 2021. This is an important step to protect one of Hawaii's major tourist attractions - it is a beautiful coral reef ecosystem. Tourism is an important part of the Hawaiian economy - over $ 16 billion in industry. Millions of visitors will be affected by this law, but local companies are strengthening to support their campaign. For example, Hawaiian Airlines has partnered with Raw Elements to provide customers with a safe coral reef sunscreen that includes certified natural and organic ingredients.

Protection of coral reefs: Hotels in Hawaii have taken measures to delay the bleaching of coral reefs by applying environmentally friendly sunscreen. Hotel chain Aqua-Aston Hospitality is a statewide initiative to keep visitors away from Oxybenzone, a sunscreen chemical that prevents fading of the coral.

When people wearing sunscreens go swimming, they bring these chemicals into the ocean. According to the survey, coral reefs in Hawaii are in contact with more than 6,000 tons of sunscreen lotion every year. Chemical substances such as oxybenzone and oxidized octanoic acid also flow out of the marine ecosystem through sewage treatment plants. As they are not designed to remove other contaminants, they are usually not removed by the wastewater treatment system. A 2015 survey revealed that in the Olympic size six swimming pools, oxybenzone began seriously damaging corals even at a low concentration of 1 drop. In Hawaii where more than 10 times the concentration is measured on popular swimming beaches, these swimming beaches have the best coral reefs on the island.