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Palau will be the first country to ban sunscreens to preserve its coral reefs. Last week, President Tommy Remengesau Jr signed the bill to ban sunscreens "toxic for reefs" from 2020.
The island nation, located in the Western Pacific Ocean, ensures the preservation and protection of its coral reefs. A sunscreen is defined as containing one of the 10 chemicals found in sun protecting lotions, including oxybenzone.
Mr Remengesau explained that the ban was largely a report published in 2017 that revealed that sunscreen products were widespread in the Jellyfish Lake of Palau, which they closed for over 30 years. one year because of the decrease in the number of jellyfish. Sunscreens would be confiscated from tourists who would take them into the country, while merchants selling these banned products would be liable to a fine of up to $ 1,395.
The law will also require tour operators to start providing customers with goblets, straws and containers containing reusable food.
"If our most famous tourist sites have four boats an hour, [and tourists] It takes at least one ounce of sunscreen to cover, which equals one gallon every three hours, "said Palau government spokesman Olkeriil Kazuo at Pacific Beat. "Every day, that would be equivalent to three or five gallons of sunscreen in the ocean and the famous dive sites of Palau, snorkeling, biodiversity and corals.
"This, for the president and the administration, is pollution."
Some studies have shown that chemicals found in sunscreens can be toxic to coral reefs, essential components of the ocean ecosystem. Critics, however, said there were not enough independent studies on the issue to justify the ban. Sunscreens are also an important protection for humans under the sun.
The ban will come into effect on January 1, 2020. In the meantime, manufacturers have started selling "reef-friendly" sunscreens that do not contain any prohibited ingredients.
In May, Hawaii became the first state in the US to ban the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate.
For Australia, which is trying to restore its Great Barrier Reef, there have not been enough scientific studies to justify the ban on sunscreens.
"We must always balance the health of our planet and human health when we know that two out of three Australians will develop skin cancer in their lifetime," said Cancer Council Australia Executive Director Sanchia Aranda. "There was strong evidence of damage at sea and that the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration), which regulates sunscreens and the chemicals contained therein, thought it was harmful, we would also."
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