Hawaii bans harmful chemical sunscreens to stop coral bleaching. Hawaiian Governor David Ige signed a bill on July 3, 2018 that bans the sale/distribution of sunscreens that contain the chemicals oxybenzone (benzophenone-3) and octinoxate (octylmethoxycinnamate). The ban begins January 2021.
Although the major cause for coral bleaching is the rise of sea surface temperature an additional stressor on coral polyps is exposure to sunscreen chemicals, like oxybenzone. Sunscreen chemicals have been found to damage the DNA of coral polyps which causes them to be more susceptible to disease and coral bleaching.
You can help protect coral reefs by using mineral sunscreen, zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide are the active ingredients. Mineral sunscreen is also more effective in protecting you against the suns damaging rays than chemical sunscreens.
The Environmental Working Group has identified 200 sunscreens that protect you from the sun and do not cause damage to coral larvae. https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/best-sunscreens/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/#.W0uw_EzMwdU
Take action to protect coral reefs – use mineral sunscreen
