Does your sunscreen hurt the coral reefs?

(CNN) – We are in the middle of the summer and countless families are enjoying free time and warm weather to go on vacation. Hawaii is a popular destination, with nearly 800,000 visitors in May alone, according to state tourism data.

The state recently banned two sunscreen ingredients that researchers found to be dangerous to coral reefs. Here is what it means for you.

Effective January 1, 2021, Hawaii will prohibit the sale, offering for sale or distribution of any sunscreen containing oxybenzone or octinoxate without a prescription. licensed health care provider. The chemicals can also be labeled as benzophenone-3 and octyl methoxycinnamate, respectively.

Both ingredients help protect the skin from UV rays, but the researchers found that they also cause discolorations, deformities, damage to the DNA and ultimately the death of corals when sunscreens disappear. or is dumped in sewage treatment plants and deposited in water plans. Coral reefs are vital components of marine ecosystems that protect beaches from erosion and support biodiversity, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Are these ingredients as dangerous to humans?

Oxybenzone and Octinoxate are on the United States Food and Drug Administration's approved active ingredients list for sunscreen. The official position of the American Academy of Dermatology Association is that "claims that sun protection ingredients currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration are toxic to the environment or a hazard to human health. Have not been proven. " You can find a list of active ingredients approved by the FDA on the agency's website.

The environmental protection organization task force says that banned ingredients can cause hormonal disruptions and allergic skin reactions.

Both chemicals were also found at toxic levels in fish, sea turtle eggs, seaweed, dolphins, oysters, crayfish, mussels, and even human breast milk and dolphin, according to Craig Downs, ecotoxicologist Haereticus Environmental Laboratory and the lead author of the study that propelled Hawaii to ban the ingredients.

Could sunscreen harm the environment even though I am far from Hawaii?

This is more of a local problem, according to a representative of the Department of Lands and Natural Resources of Hawaii. Although government officials encourage everyone to use "reef-safe" sunscreens as much as possible, the chances of seeing Montana harm the Hawaiian reefs, for example, are slim.

Although Florida has banned no sunscreen ingredients, the Department of Environmental Protection's Coral Reef Conservation Program is asking divers to avoid using sunscreens with sun protection. Oxybenzone to protect the Florida Reef Tract.

But Downs says that oxybenzone and octinoxate have been detected in waters all over the world, including Barrow, Alaska. The oxybenzone has a half – life of 2.4 years in the seawater, so that a plume of sewage or water coming from the seawater. a popular bathing area can go downstream and dump into coastal waters.

How could I protect myself from the sun?

You can use sunscreens with ingredients like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which place a physical barrier between your skin and the sun and reflect its rays.

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends everyone over 6 months to wear a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 on the parties exposed body every day. Doctors also suggest staying outside in the shade and wearing appropriate clothing, hats and sunglasses.

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