Sunscreen ban could be expanded

Sunscreens containing two harmful petrochemicals, avobenzone and octocrylene, would be banned from sale in Hawaii under a bill passed Tuesday by the state Senate.

This bill follows a 2018 law banning oxybenzone and octinoxate sunscreens. The Center for Biological Diversity reported studies show that all four of these petrochemical sunscreens are toxic to human health, coral reefs and marine species.

“This is great news for our imperiled coral reefs and marine life,” said Maxx Phillips, Hawaii director and staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Research demonstrates that octocrylene can disrupt human hormones and have toxic impacts on a variety of aquatic organisms including corals, fish and marine mammals. The center said a soon-to-be published study shows that octocrylene degrades into benzophenone, a powerful carcinogen, reproductive disruptor and herbicide.

Avobenzone is also an endocrine disruptor and can reduce coral resilience against the high ocean temperatures that are killing corals worldwide.

“… Hawaiian coral reefs also drive tourism, one of Hawaii’s primary economic engines,” said Lisa Bishop, president of Friends of Hanauma Bay. “It is therefore critical to eliminate as many existential threats to our marine ecosystems as possible, like these additional reef-toxic chemicals, to ensure the reef can both survive and thrive for future generations. …”

If enacted, the bill, SB132, would go into effect Jan. 1, 2023.