When traveling, please do your research and do your best to respect the rules of the city or island you are visiting. First time offenders will be charged $1,000, and this will continue to double as the offenses rack up. If they made a change and made their sunscreens reef-safe, other companies would follow. If you are going to one of these beaches, I strongly recommend you to not use these sunscreens not because they destroy coral reefs but also because it is illegal to use non reef safe sunscreen there. Coppertone has been a leading sunscreen brand for over 70 years. Other sunscreens that contain harmful chemicals include: Alba Hawaiian Sunscreen, Coppertone, Naturopathica, Neutrogena, Hawaiian Tropic, Banana Boat and many more. Feel free to use it at home or when you are not getting in the water, but if there is ever a chance that you will be entering a beach with coral reefs, do not apply Sun Bum. They are reef “friendly” but still contain harmful chemicals that put coral reefs at risk. No matter what you have heard or seen, Sun Bum is NOT reef safe. Now let’s talk about specific sunscreens that are not reef safe. If it has one of the following chemicals or ingredients, it is NOT reef safe: oxybenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, homosalate, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, PABA, parabens, triclosan, any nanoparticles or “nano-sized” zinc or titanium, or any sunscreen that has exfoliating beads. But when coral bleaching is initiated, the coral releases the algae living in its tissues causing it to turn from that beautiful vibrant color to completely white.īeside research, the best way to know if a sunscreen is reef safe or not is by looking at the chemicals and ingredients that it is made up of. Now what is coral bleaching? Coral has a symbiotic relationship with the algae that inhabit it essentially these algae are responsible for nearly ALL of the energy the coral needs. In addition, they are also known to cause coral bleaching. While these two chemicals are fantastic for absorbing the sun's harmful rays, they are also known to alter DNA and disrupt endocrine processes that can lead to serious deformities in reefs. Kokua Sun Care Hawaiian SPF 50 Natural Zinc Sunscreen. The two main culprits are oxybenzone and octinoxate. Biodegradable sunscreen is essential for visiting Mexico’s beaches. What about sunscreen makes it so dangerous and deadly to reefs though, Shelbi? Well, obviously the chemical components in the lotion. Sunscreen is one of the largest contributing factor to this chemical pollution. As reported by Marine Safe, as much as 82,000 different types of chemicals from personal care products are currently swimming around in our oceans and destroying our reefs. Now Shelbi, what does it mean to be "reef safe?" I'm glad you asked! Similar to chemical pollutants in the air and land around us, the ocean is also chemically polluted as well.
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