The ban effective from January, 1, prohibits usage of sunscreens that are potentially harmful to reefs and other marine life. Owners of any reef-toxic sunscreen, both imported or sold in Palau, will face a fine of USD1,000 and confiscation of the sunscreen. This step had to be taken as due to a high number of tourists at Palau's popular dive sites there were concerns the harmful chemicals from the sunscreens used by divers and snorkellers would finally cause irreparable damage to the reefs.
Earlier, toxic sunscreen chemicals have been found throughout Palau's critical habitats and tissues of marine animals. They were recognised as potentially harmful to corals, fish and the ocean in general.
President of Palau Tommy Remengesau commented on the ban: "We don't mind being the first nation to ban these chemicals, and we will do our part to spread the word... We have to live and respect the environment because the environment is the nest of life, and without it nobody in Palau can survive."
Also on January, 1, after establishing Palau’s marine sanctuary 80 percent of Palau's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) was closed to fishing and other marine activities including mining and shark finning.
Palau Pioneers Ban of Reef Toxic Sunscreens
News in Asia
Palau, an island country in the western Pacific Ocean, boasting some of the world's best dive sites, put a pioneering ban on 'reef-toxic' sunscreens to protect corals.