Florida senator Linda Stewart is proposing a new bill that would require people in the state to get a physician’s prescription for sunscreen containing oxybenzone and octinoxate — two popular ingredients that have already been banned in Hawaii “due to their harmful effect on the coral reefs,” according to a 2018 study. Another found that the ingredients can possibly lead to “coral reef bleaching,” potentially shortening their lifespan, and when found in fish, may affect the food chain.
Knight added that restricting access to sunscreen would “increase the melanoma epidemic in our state.” However, Fenton also acknowledges the potential harm in using these chemicals. “There are some ingredients in sunscreen that are possibly harmful to the coral reefs, and we must balance the availability of these products along with protecting our environment,” he says. “These include two common ingredients that are targeted in this bill: oxybenzone and octinoxate.