HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0771.132 2020-2022 From: Ban Toxic Sunscreens
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2022 10:30 AM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: TESTIMONY BILL 167
Aloha Chair Rebecca Villegas, Co-Chair Heather Kimball, and members of the Committee on Climate
Resilience & Natural Management,
We are writing on behalf of over 700 members of our groups Ban Toxic Sunscreens and the Safe
Sunscreen Coalition.
As visitors return to Hawaii, they ignorantly buy up sunscreens they think are safe because these sunscreens
companies tell consumers their products are "reef friendly" or "Hawaii compliant". In fact, Hawaii inadvertently
allowed these brands to market themselves as safe as long as they removed the two ingredients we got banned
from sales throughout the state: oxybenzone and octinoxate. As we stand now, we have an excess of studies that
show all chemical UV filters are a danger to our marine environment (not to mention a danger to our keikil). As we
stand now, visitors are dumping thousands of gallons of these toxic chemicals and hormone disruptors into our
fragile ecosystem every week. It doesn't have to be this way.
Presently we have hundreds of truly reef friendly sunscreen options.The transition for businesses will be very
easy. In fact if needed we can provide a comprehensive PDF list with links to make it easy for store buyers to contact
these brands and quickly fill their shelves with safe mineral sunscreen formulations.
It's time to protect Hawaii's people, marine life, coastal infrastructure. We submit testimony in strong support
of Bill 167 to preserve the health, safety, and welfare of humans and the environment by allowing only
mineral sunscreens to be provided, sold, offered for sale, or distributed in the County.
Mahalo, N rp'
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Wilkie McClaren -4 .--4,
Ban Toxic Sunscreens
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Safe Sunscreen Coalition
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Comm.No.++ill •`7)Z
Ref.To: P i ag-N 11-MC/
Ref. Date MAY. 1 7 2027