Original title: ban of sunscreen in Palau from 2020: to protect coral reefs and fish source: fast technology
According to foreign media reports, from January 1, 2020, Palau, a Pacific country, banned the use and sale of sunscreen containing common ingredients such as oxybenzophenone in the country, in order to protect coral reefs and fish. President Palau said that these sunscreens will cause damage to coral reefs, fish stocks and the sea itself, so they are prohibited from residents and tourists.
The International Coral Reef foundation said that the banned chemicals are known environmental pollutants, which will produce considerable toxicity to young wildlife.
Palau, known as the 'diving Paradise', is composed of more than 300 volcanic islands and coral islands, with a population of about 20000 and hundreds of islands. Among them, the lagoon is included in the UNESCO World Heritage site.
In 2018, Palau announced a national ban on the use of sunscreen containing 10 ingredients harmful to coral reefs, including oxybenzyl ketone and octanoate. Although sunscreens that contain harmful chemicals have been slowly decreasing, experts say about half of the cream and lotion contain similar ingredients.
At present, Hawaii, Bonaire Island in the Caribbean of the Netherlands and the United States Virgin Islands have announced the prohibition of sunscreen.