The compounds are very different, he notes, and “things that can be learned about one do not necessarily carry over to another.” The benefits these UV filters provide in terms of sunburn and skin cancer protection have to be considered as well. Cullen, MD, vice chair of the committee that produced the report and former director of the Center for Population Health Sciences at Stanford University. If you will please consider using some of these reef safe sunscreen products and practices when you’re visiting Hawaii, our reefs, fish and community will thank you for helping to keep the marine environment safe and keeping harmful chemicals out of the water.A new report from the nonprofit, independent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine outlines the challenges in determining the effect of the ultraviolet filters in sunscreen and other personal care products on freshwater environments and oceans and the plants, animals, and other organisms that live there. “There are many gaps in our understanding of the fate, distribution, and toxicity of the UV filters themselves, and especially when used together and in the face of other stressors on the environment, such as climate change,” says Mark S. A wide brimmed hat and a long sleeved sun shirt will work wonders, especially if you are at the beach for an extended period or are going swimming in one of the sensitive reef environments around Hawaii. It’s also wise to avoid sunscreen sprays, which tend to end up in the air and on the sand more than on your skin.Īnd as always, you can seek out shade and wear sun-protective clothing to protect your skin from UV rays. It may be a good idea to test a few products at home to make sure you don’t have any reactions to the ingredients and see if one brand works better than another for you. These products have a variety of reef friendly ingredients and they tend to work well when applied as recommended. Reef Safe Sunscreen Recommendations and Other AlternativesĬompanies like Thinksport, Raw Elements, Sun Bum, Blue Lizard, Stream2Sea, Ao Organics, and Hawaiian Sol offer reef safe sunscreen in Hawaii. That’s why it’s important to find good alternative sunscreens to use and to utilize sun shirts when you are snorkeling or spending extended time in the water. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association argues that skin cancer prevention efforts could be severely affected by the bill. Skin cancer is among the most common forms of cancer in the United States, so excessive sun exposure is a very real problem as well. The largest concern with this bill is that it bans nearly 70% of the sunscreen products available today.
This exposes the coral to direct sunlight and leaves them without a food source.īecause an estimated 400 different fish live within Hawaii’s coastal water – and many of them rely on the coral reef ecosystems to survive – there’s a huge environmental argument to be made regarding the use of reef safe sunscreen in Hawaii.
Oxybenzone, along with a few other common sunscreen ingredients, awaken viruses in the algae, causing them to explode and infect nearby coral reefs. Within coral communities live symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae, which provide coral with food via photosynthesis. Oxybenzone, while highly effective at filtering UV rays when applied topically, has been linked to coral bleaching, which is extremely harmful to coral reefs and marine environments. In May 2018, the Hawaii State Legislature passed the Hawaii Senate Bill 2571, which bans the sale of these products in the state. More than 3,500 products use an ingredient called oxybenzone, a common element in many sunscreen products that helps block harmful UV rays. Some of the most common sunscreen brands will soon be banned from sale in Hawaii. Email Please Use Reef Safe Sunscreen in Hawaii
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