As of the start of 2020, there are new regulations and restrictions governing sunscreen use for visitors to Kealakekua Bay on the Island of Hawaii.
Kealakekua Bay, an important harbor for early Hawaiians, the site of Captain James Cook's demise and a popular tourist attraction, is under special conservation management by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to protect the ecosystem.
As of Jan. 1 sunscreens that do not contain oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, avobenzone, octocrylene, homosalate and nanoparticles can be used by commercial vessels operating in Kealakekua Bay. Additionally, DLNR is requiring all motorized vessels in Kealakekua Bay to carry a self-contained human waste system on board for passengers.
"Oxybenzone causes coral DNA damage, causes fatal larval deformities and prevents coral reefs from recovering from storms, sedimentation and climate change events," Dr. Craig Downs, Haereticus Environmental Laboratory executive director, said in a statement.
Chemicals in sunscreens, along with other environmental stressors such as higher-than-normal water temperatures, pollution and disease, can damage and kill corals and other marine life studies from Downs and others have shown.
In 2021 a statewide ban on sunscreens with oxybenzone and octinoxate will take effect.