Dos quimicos dañan corales.

Hawaii Governor Signs Bill Banning Sunscreens Containing Two Chemicals That Harm Coral Reefs.

The AP (7/4, McAvoy) reports Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) signed a bill "that will ban the sale of sunscreens containing two chemicals believed to harm coral reefs:" octinoxate and oxybenzone. Ige said, "This is just one small step toward protecting and restoring the resiliency of Hawaii's reefs." The law will go into effect in 2021.

        CNN (7/3, Moulite) reported on its website that "a study by Haereticus Environmental Laboratory, a nonprofit scientific organization, found the chemicals cause bleaching, deformities, DNA damage and ultimately death in coral when they're washed off beachgoers or discharged into wastewater treatment plants and deposited into bodies of water." The article pointed out that back in May, the American Academy of Dermatology released a statement "explaining its fear that the restrictions could lead to an increase in skin cancer, particularly melanoma, which the organization says is already 30% higher in Hawaii than the national average." Former AAD President Dr. Henry Lim said, "I think it is a challenging aspect for us dermatologists, as it can potentially create confusion among the public and among patients who need photo-protection. The issue being that we do know that excessive sun exposure is associated with damage to the skin, including what we call photo aging, which is wrinkle formation, but more importantly the development of skin cancers."

Benjamin Hidalgo-Matlock

Skin Care Physicians of Costa Rica

4000-1054

2101-9574

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