All but two kinds of sunscreen will be banned on the Big Island under a bill passed Wednesday by the County Council.
After weeks of discussion, the council voted to pass on final reading a measure that will prohibit the sale of all “non-mineral” sunscreens on the island.
By the definitions set out in the bill, only sunscreens that use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as their active ingredient will be permitted to be sold in the county.
Those chemicals are considered by the National Academy of Sciences to be the comparatively safest out of 16 common sunscreen active ingredients. The rest of the chemicals are believed to have serious harmful impacts on marine life, particularly coral reefs.
The bill also allows the county to fine violators up to $1,000.
North Kona Councilman Holeka Inaba, a co-sponsor of the bill, presented minor amendments to the measure Wednesday, including a change allowing those fines to be used by the Department of Parks and Recreation to install mineral sunscreen dispensers at county parks and disburse educational materials about the value of mineral sunscreens.
The state Legislature already passed a similar bill in 2018 that banned the sale of sunscreens containing the chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate. However, Kailua-Kona Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas, another co-sponsor of the bill, said sunscreen manufacturers can circumvent a ban on specific chemicals by switching to slightly different — but no less harmful — substances, and a ban on all chemicals except for a few specific ones closes that loophole.
While most council members were generally supportive of the bill, it did not pass unanimously. Two council members – Puna Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz and Kohala Councilman Tim Richards — voted against the bill on the grounds that further information about the effects of sunscreens on marine life is still forthcoming.
Richards said that the National Academy of Sciences currently is conducting a study on the impacts of sunscreen ingredients on marine life. The study is expected to be completed within the year.
“I commend the efforts,” Richards said. “But I’m cautious about going forward with more information being so imminent.”
Kierkiewicz agreed, saying that the current data about the issue is “a big question mark.”
On the other hand, Hilo Councilman Aaron Chung said he would rather “err on the side of the little coral polyps,” a sentiment which was echoed by the remaining council members.
“If there is new information that says we are wrong, subsequent councils can fix it,” Chung said.
The bill passed 5-2 on its final reading and heads to the desk of Mayor Mitch Roth for his possible signature. It would go into effect Dec. 1.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.