British media said that the Pacific island country Palau became the first country in the world to ban sunscreens because sunscreens are harmful to corals and marine life.
According to a report on the BBC website on January 3, from January 1, 2020, Palau banned the use or sale of sunscreens containing conventional ingredients such as benzophenone-3 in the country.
"We have to respect the environment we live in because the environment provides a nest for life," Palau President Tommy Ramonceso said. The island nation calls itself the "primitive paradise" of divers. The country's rocky lagoon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The country has a population of about 20,000 and lives on hundreds of islands.
The ban was announced in 2018, banning sunscreens containing 10 ingredients, including benzophenone-3 and octanoate, which function to absorb ultraviolet light. The International Coral Reef Foundation says the banned chemicals are "known environmental pollutants, most of which are severely toxic to many young wildlife."
"When science tells us that doing these things can cause damage to coral reefs, schools of fish, or the ocean itself, our citizens will pay attention, and tourists will," said Ramongeso.
"We are happy to be the first country to ban the use of these chemicals, and we will do our best to spread this message." Remongeso said.
