Hawaii legislators are considering legislation to ban sunscreens that contain harmful chemicals that harm the environment.
“Effective January 1, 2023, it will be unlawful to sell, offer for sale, or distribute for sale in the state any sunscreen product containing avobenzone or octocrylene without a prescription issued by a licensed healthcare provider,” the bill reads.
The bill passed Tuesday in the Hawaii State Senate and passed the first reading in the House of Representatives Thursday, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
It now goes to the house committees for energy and environmental protection, consumer protection for water and land, and economics and finance.
The ban would complement an earlier law, passed in 2018 and taking effect earlier this year, that banned sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate.
“This is great news for our endangered coral reefs and marine life,” Maxx Phillips, the Hawaii director of the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement, according to Star Advertiser.
These chemicals have been shown to be harmful to wildlife and could damage coral reefs, the newspaper noted.
Hawaii is to prepare to allow tourists to return to the state after the coronavirus pandemic devastated the travel industry. Forecasts show that tourist attractions in the US could have a long recovery period after the pandemic.
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