Hawaii is banning chemicals popular in sunscreens to protect coral reefs surrounding its islands, the first state in the U.S. to enact such laws, The Washington Post reports.
A bill banning oxybenzone and octinoxate passed the state legislature in May. Democratic Hawaii Gov. David Ige is expected to sign the bill into law Tuesday. If so, the ban will take effect Jan. 1, 2021.
“Amazingly, this is a first-in-the-world law,” Democratic state Sen. Mike Gabbard, who introduced the bill, told the Honolulu Star Adviser in an e-mail. “So, Hawaii is definitely on the cutting edge by banning these dangerous chemicals in sunscreens. When you think about it, our island paradise, surrounded by coral reefs, is the perfect place to set the gold standard for the world to follow.”
“This will make a huge difference in protecting our coral reefs, marine life, and human health,” Gabbard added.
The two chemicals kill developing coral and cause genetic damage to fish and other marine creatures who rely on the coral reefs for habitat. The chemicals also make the coral reefs more susceptible to damage from climate change, according to the bill.
A coalition of environmental groups backed the ban, while a number of business groups and medical professionals spoke against the bill for the negative health effects it may lead to millions of residents and tourists.
“The health, safety and welfare of millions of Hawaii residents and tourists has been severely compromised by the passage of SB 2571 that will ban at least 70 percent of the sunscreens on the market today, based on weak science blaming sunscreens for damage to coral reefs,” Consumer Healthcare Products Association said in a May statement after the bill passed the legislature. “This irresponsible action will make it more difficult for families to protect themselves against the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, and it is contrary to the many concerns expressed by Hawaii’s medical doctors, dermatologists, and public health experts.”
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David Lewis I live within a 50 or 60 miles from Klamath Falls and we to were outraged over that Unconstitutional taking of the water in fact one of the Plantiff used to live right in my home town of Etna,CA he lived in a Log House and had a second home with a wood burning water heater the group the now Defunked Klamath Forest Alliance their HQ was made of wood with this dumb Wooden Fish shaped sign he is still around with another Eco-Wacko group the Klamath River Keepers still making pest of himself
Always expect the Stupid Jackass Party(Democrats)to put the life of a nonhuman species other the lives of people just look with the Snail Darter some dumb little fish over the jobs and lively hoods of the Farmers in Tennesee the same gose to the Central Valley this time its the stupid Delta Smelt the ESA needs be amendment or repealed
I need to add what happened in the area around Klamath Falls OR, my home town. The people who controlled the water deny it to farmers. Many of these went bankrupt loosing farms that had been in the family for generations. Their equipment was auctioned off for pennies per dollar of value. This was all to protect an insignificant bottom feeding fish. This fished had survived many decades with droughts coming and going without the help of the eco-wackos. I still think these people were more interested in harming the farmers than protecting the fish.
Ocean Acidity (coral) Doctorate chemist mailed me this yesterday. Very interesting.
Carbon dioxide is the reason for most water (ocean and freshwater lakes and rivers) TO BE ALKALINE.
This has been shown, decades ago, in the Canadian Experimental Lakes Area. J. Vallentyne describes the result (I have an electronic copy of it, if you want) in his booklet
The Algal Bowl. When the photosynthesis takes on new life after winter, given sufficient (nitrogen, phosphate, and mineral nutrients), the pH rapidly rises to pH 9-10.The same observation is made, year after year at the Aloha research station (ship), ca. 100 km north of Hawaii.
Some not familiar with chemistry might think that “the pH rapidly rises to pH 9-10” means getting more acid. It is just the opposite. Neutral is a pH of 7.0, and higher numbers mean basic, which is the opposite of acid. Numbers below 7.0 are acid. To give some reference points, milk of magnesia, which is used to neutralize stomach acid, has a pH of 10.2. On the acid side vinegar is 2.8. The claim of ocean acidification, which is probably the worst scientific fraud in human history, never claimed that oceans were becoming acid. The claim was that they were becoming less basic.