The first country banned sunscreen to protect corals

Palau - a small country in the western Pacific, has just gone down in history as the first country in the world to ban sunscreen to protect coral reefs.

According to the BBC, the government has signed a law restricting the sale and use of sunscreen and skin care products if the ingredient contains 1 of 10 substances on the banned list.

From 2020, using non-commercial sunscreens will be confiscated in Palau to protect the country's coral reefs - (Photo: specialistaustralia.com.au).

The ban is effective from 2020, retailers may be fined up to $ 1,000 if violated. The use of non-commercial sunscreen will be confiscated.

President Palau Tommy Remengesau said that the government's action was timely and: "This regulation is a compromise between educating visitors instead of leaving them away."

For years, scientists have warned about the effect of sunscreen on marine life. They are particularly concerned about the role of two components: oxybenzone and octinoxate. These are ingredients that are sun-resistant due to the absorption of ultraviolet rays.

However, these are substances that cause corals to die massively. A study published in 2015 demonstrated oxybenzone to stop young corals from growing and being toxic to many corals tested in the laboratory.

Photo of a diver diving on a coral reef in Palau - (Photo: BBC).

" Oxybenxzone is probably the worst agent on the list of 10 banned chemicals. It causes mass death of corals at low temperatures and reduces the resilience of coral to climate change," said Dr. Craig Downs. on the impact of sunscreen on marine life, said.

Dr. Downs said that when there is a catastrophic event such as coral mass death, coral reefs will recover in the coming years but that does not happen in many parts of the world. "There is no resurgence in places where visitors".

Young corals are more vulnerable to chemicals than older corals. That is why the dead corals cannot recover but only the old coral branches. It is only a matter of time until all is gone.

The biggest threat to coral reefs is climate change, predicting that up to 90% of coral will succumb to sea temperature rise by 2050. The second threat is lack of oxygen due to algae phenomenon. Bloom. Current sunscreen is also one of the threats.

Palau country from above - (Photo: BBC).

It is estimated that between 6 and 14,000 tons of sunscreen are washed down to the reefs each year. Thousands of sunscreens on the market contain two substances that are very harmful to the aforementioned corals. Currently, the US Congress is considering the ban on oxybenzone, due to the dangers it poses to human health.

According to the BBC, many other places have also imposed the ban, such as Bonaire Island in the Caribbean and the American island of Hawaii. Mexico prohibits the use of sunscreen in nature reserves.

Faced with the spreading threat of a ban on sunscreen use, many large corporations, including Johnson & Johnson and L'Oreal, protested and argued that evidence of adverse impacts on corals was insufficient. strong.

Palau is located in the western Pacific Ocean. Although the area is small, the country has many strong actions to protect the environment.