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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 11 March 2020

People over coral?: Florida

could ban sunscreen bans

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON Santis signs the bill. Miami al-based "reef safe" sun-
Associated Press Beach and Surfside in Mi- screen.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — ami-Dade County consid- "The market has already
Key West wants to protect ered bans, but ultimately responded by introducing
the coral reefs that are vital took no action. a host of new, affordable,
to the southernmost city's Bill opponents argued that and most importantly, ef-
economy. The Florida Leg- local governments should fective options," Fernandez
islature is saying not so fast. have the right to protect said.
A year after Key West resources that are impor- Democratic Rep. Anna Es-
voted to ban the sale of tant to them. They also said kamani noted that even
sunscreens that contain the research is valid and the state Department of
chemicals researchers say that consumers have other Environmental Protection
harm coral reefs, the House products available to pro- is promoting reef-safe sun-
voted 68-47 Tuesday to tect themselves. screen. The department
prohibit sunscreen bans. "The science on this mat- has a 30-second YouTube Rep. Tina Scott Polsky, D-Boca Raton, debates on the bill to ban
The bill now goes to Repub- ter is not junk science," said video offering advice on the banning of sunscreen containing ingredients that some
lican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Democratic Rep. Javier how to protect reefs, in- researchers say harm coral reefs during session Tuesday March
Bill supporters say the re- Fernandez, who said that cluding not using plastic 10, 2020, in Tallahassee, Fla.
search that says sunscreens 6,000 tons of sunscreen straws and other single-use Associated Press
containing oxybenzone or chemicals wash up on cor- plastics, not standing on or
octinoxate harm coral isn't al reefs across the planet touching reefs and using use it on their faces and not sullo said. "Zinc is very, very
on their entire bodies.
thick and also stains, and
solid, while the sun's abil- each year. "How can any- reef-safe products.
ity to cause skin cancer is one characterize the ac- Last year DeSantis vetoed "Those sunscreens are very, most people don't like to
very difficult to use," Mas-
without question. tion of the city of Key West a bill that would prevent use it."q
"If we don't have evidence as anything other than rea- local governments from
that's good, that's actually sonable and prudent? ... banning plastic straws. Key
verified, we cannot allow What the leadership of the West City Commissioner
these communities to ban city of Key West did makes Jimmy Weekley now hopes
sunscreens. We have plen- absolute sense." DeSantis will do the same
ty of empirical evidence Key West isn't the only with this bill and expressed
that sunscreens are very, place to pass a sunscreen frustration that the Legisla-
very important to our so- ban. Hawaii, the U.S. Virgin ture is meddling in local af-
ciety, that they save lives. Islands, the Caribbean is- fairs.
By banning them, we'll be land of Bonaire and the ar- "We all are fighting issues
threatening lives," said Re- chipelago nation of Palau that the state Legislatures
publican Rep. Ralph Mas- in the western Pacific have feels that local communi-
sullo, who is a dermatolo- all enacted sunscreen bans ties should not have any
gist. that are either in place or control over," Weekley said.
Key West, where fishermen, will be over the next two "Whether it's vacation rent-
snorkelers and scuba div- years. als or the use of plastic bags
ers are drawn to the reefs, Drug store chain CVS an- and Styrofoam, they've ba-
is the only Florida city to nounced in August that it sically taken away a lot of
pass an ordinance to ban will remove the chemicals our home rule rights."
sunscreens containing the from 60 of its store brand Massullo said he recom-
chemicals in question. The sunscreen products, and mends zinc-based sun-
ordinance is set to go into it and other companies screen for his patients. But
place next year unless De- are now marketing miner- he said consumers tend to