Several days ago we read a very interesting article about new legislation that will be approved on the State of Hawaii to forbid the use of sun creams because of its environmental impact. The headline, which seemed to doom us to a future of hats and umbrellas, in fact refers only to the 3500 commercial creams that use chemical UV filters. Specifically, creams containing (usually combined) oxibenzone and octinoxate. Both componentes are agressive with coral reefs, but also have been tested and proved to some degree of affecting our health, too. Oxibenzone, actually, penetrates the skin and ends up in our bloodstream, where it behaves and acts as estrogen, unbalancing our hormone balance. Octinoxate may affect our cells DNA, which could within time develop cancer.
Were those not enough, it has been widely proved that it does indeed affect our oceans’ health. Very low concentrations of both compounds gravely affect the coral reefs and their capacity to fight the effects of warming waters, polution, water chemical unbalances and other menances. Just in case, we have made some research to provide you with healthy and effective ways of sunbathing without risks:
