Island nation Palau bans sunscreens with chemicals thought to harm coral

The tiny Pacific island nation of Palau is the first country to ban sunscreens that contain any one of 10 chemicals thought to harm coral reefs. Effective 1 January 2020, any of these products that the country has dubbed ‘reef toxic’ will be illegal to sell in Palau, including those with oxybenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, triclosan and several parabens. Once the ban kicks in, importers or vendors caught selling sunscreens with the prohibited ingredients will be fined $1000 (£770) and the products can be confiscated.