Palau, in the Western Pacific, the first nation to ban "reef-toxic" sunscreens: NPR

The Pacific Islands of Palau has become the first country to ban sunscreens, which some researchers believe are killing coral reefs and harming the marine environment.

In a law passed this week, Palau defines banned sunscreens "toxic to the reef" as containing one of the 10 chemicals, including oxybenzone and octinoxate, present in the majority sunscreens sold in the United States, according to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association. .

The nation of more than 500 islands and about 21,000 inhabitants of the Micronesia region, located in the western Pacific Ocean, has taken steps to protect its biodiversity, which contributes greatly to tourism, its main economic driver.

Retailers who violate the ban are liable to a fine of $ 1,000.

"This bill, short but important, could have a lasting impact on the environment here," wrote President Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr. in a letter accompanying the bill. "As more and more people come to visit our pristine paradise with their own eyes, we can not give up our responsibility for these islands."

Remengesau spokesman Olkeriil Kazuo told NPR that the publication of the law was inspired by a report published in 2017 by the Coral Reef Research Foundation, which revealed the presence of numerous sunscreen toxins in Jellyfish Lake. , UNESCO World Heritage Site and very popular tourist attraction.

The report recommended that visitors immediately switch to "more biologically-friendly" sunscreen products.

Kazuo says that Palau will immediately stop importing sunscreen toxic for reefs, but that retailers have until 2020, when the law comes into force, to sell their remaining stocks.

According to a 2015 study by researchers at the University of Central Florida, oxybenzone poses a danger to coral reef conservation by trapping coral nutrients and whitening it off.

"Any small effort to reduce pollution by oxybenzone could mean that a coral reef will survive a long and hot summer or that a degraded area would recover its surface," said the researcher. Study, Craig Downs, in a press release.

"With increasing rates of skin cancer and the availability of more effective sunscreen actives, such as micronized zinc oxide and titanium dioxide," notes a study from 2017 With similar results, "serious doubts must exist about the relative benefits of personal care products containing oxybenzone." high. "

Hawaii has passed a law similar to that of Palau earlier this year, which will come into force in 2021.

The ACPS has described the Hawaiian law as a serious compromise for the "health, safety and well-being" of residents and tourists.

As previously reported NPR, "there are already thousands of sunscreen products containing no oyxbenzone or octinoxate, other products on the market".