As a global attraction for scuba divers and thousands of marine species, the third largest barrier reef ecosystem in the world sits off the coast of the Florida Keys. Located at the most southern portion of the Florida Keys and the continental United States, Key West is a hot spot for sun, sand, surf, and most recently, a ban on sunscreens containing certain chemicals. Passed this past week, the city of Key West will be banning sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate starting January 1, 2021. Although this ban is specifically for sunscreens with these elements in Key West, other local governments, like the state of Hawaii, have taken a stance in the fight to remove excess chemicals in the oceans to protect offshore reefs.
Hawaii has restricted sunscreen sales of the same elements and will put in place the same sunscreen ban as Key West in 2021. Parts of Mexico have banned non-biodegradable sunscreen, and the nation of Palau has banned the use of sunscreen or cream containing 10 different chemicals.
The chemicals in the sunscreen, which wash off the skin into the ocean by beach goers, have been found to be toxic to coral reefs and damaging to marine life. Furthermore, these ingredients are also harmful to humans as well. The chemical compound of oxybenzone is utilized in sunscreen to absorb the UVA ultraviolet rays but the compound is also known to mimic estrogen, a female reproductive hormone. One applied layer of sunscreen which contains oxybenzone is essentially “the equivalent to a dose of hormonal replacement therapy for women.”
Although sunscreens and creams with medical prescriptions will be exempt from the ban, the reasoning behind the sunscreen ban can be viewed as more than just protecting the reefs. Many everyday items that contain compounds that are damaging to the environment are also damaging to human consumers. These compounds can end up in rivers and lakes, which all lead to the ocean and the overall water cycle that maintains the Earth’s ecosystem. Regardless, the ban raises awareness of the chemicals that are being washed into the oceans.
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