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HAWAII – The governor of Hawaii, David Ige, on Tuesday signed the first bill banning sunscreens containing harmful chemicals for coral reefs. The bill, which was pbaded by state lawmakers in May, will come into effect on January 1, 2021. At this point, the sale or distribution of over-the-counter sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate
A study by the Haereticus Environmental Laboratory, a nonprofit scientific organization, has shown that chemicals cause discolorations, deformities, damage to DNA and ultimately death corals when they are rejected in the treatment plants. "Oxybenzone is really toxic to the juvenile form of corals," said Craig Downs, forensic ecotoxicologist and executive director of the Haereticus Environmental Laboratory, who will witness the signing of the bill. "And it is consistent with the dogma of toxicology that juveniles are usually a thousand times more sensitive to the toxic effects of a chemical than a parent."
His research enlightened the creation of the bill and was not the first to notice that sunscreens are harmful to coral.
These chemicals disrupt the symbiotic relationship between coral and algae, says Downs. The coral larva envelops in its own skeleton, where it falls to the bottom of the sea and dies.
"You may have an impact of El Niño climate change on a coral reef, say that it kills 40% of the coral," Downs said. "But if you have swimmers out there with solar pollution, you're not going to have new generations to come in. Then you'll see the slow decline of coral reefs in the area, and then you get a landscape under -marine, sorry for the mud and mud and sand. "
But not everyone supports the ban
" Essentially, what happens is two ingredients both safe and effective are banned, essentially on the basis of a single study claiming that these ingredients harm coral reefs, "said Jay Sirois, senior director of regulatory and scientific affairs for the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, a national badociation representing Johnson & Johnson manufacturers, Neutrogena products and Bayer's Coppertone sunscreens
"This should be seen in the set of available evidence that show that there are others Larger causes of coral decline such as global warming, overfishing, pollution and runoff, "Sirois said.
Downs argued that chemicals in sunscreen decrease the resilience of coral to the impacts of climate change.
cs of the bill also contend that the ban on Hawaii on these ingredients in sunscreens will reduce choice, which will lead to a reduction in the use of sunscreen, a major public health problem.
The American Academy of Dermatology Association explaining its fear that restrictions may lead to an increase in skin cancer, particularly melanoma, which according to the organization is already 30% higher in Hawaii than the national average.
"I think it's a challenge for dermatologists.This can create confusion among the public and among patients who need photo protection," said Dr. Henry Lim, a dermatologist at the University of Ottawa. Henry Ford Hospital Detroit and former president of the badociation as well as the American Academy of Dermatology. "The problem is that we know that excessive sun exposure is badociated with damage to the skin, including what we call aging photo, which is the formation of wrinkles, but especially the development of cancers of the skin. skin."
Approved UV filters can find adequate sun protection solutions, but there are alternative ingredients with different sun protection mechanisms, including zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, said Lim, who understands the reason for being the bill. Implementing these restrictions as an opportunity for physicians to redouble their efforts to educate the public on the importance of sunscreen: to stay in the shadows on the outside; wear appropriate clothing, hats and sunglbades; and wear sunscreen only on exposed parts of the body.
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