Hawaii+Passes+Bill+Banning+Sunscreen+That+Can+Harm+Coral+Reefs

[|Hawaii Passes Bill Banning Sunscreen That Can Harm Coral Reefs] The New York Times Accessed on May 3, 2018



Recent research has been updated from scientist that sunscreen contains chemicals and has a contribution to coral bleaching when washed off in the beach. Hawaii is the first state to pass a bill banning the purchase of sunscreen and its believed that it is harmful to coral reefs. The legislation is considering to prohibit sunscreen that contains chemicals such as oxybenzone and octinoxate in which it awaits to be signed by the governor and will have its new set of rules by Jan.1, 2021. An estimate of "14,000 tons of sunscreen" is deposited in the ocean each year with worst damage in popular reef areas likewise Hawaii and the Caribbean. However, the makers of the traditional sunscreen opposed the legislation, by pointing out that the chemicals are approved by the FDA and are vital to preventing skin cancer. __**Relevance to course:**__ In our course, we have been learning and observing the contribution of harmful human activities to the environment and the ocean. This includes other polluters, for instance ocean warming, runoff from land, agricultural runoff and sewage dumping. In this article, it illustrates the distribution of contamination of chemicals to the ocean depleting coral reefs and causing coral bleaching. There are specific ocean pollution (Miller 543) and pollutants being dumped in the ocean such as oil spills (Miller 547) and the blooms of toxic organisms that release waterborne and damage fisheries and poison (miller 542). I believe its correct to ban and pass a bill to prohibit sunscreen because it does cause harmful toxins and contamination to organism living within the ocean. In which it can cause long-term effects and it will be to late to prevent and preserve the environment. Also, if the makers are opposing to ban sunscreen they should find a better way to create safe and non contaminated sunscreen in order to prevent skin cancer. __**Law:**__ The law that relates most to this environmental issue is the //Clean Water Act of 1977// which sets the goals to keep surface waters safe for fishing and swimming and to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's water and the revision to control non-point pollution and establish federal wetlands protection program.
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