HONOLULU (KHON2) A statewide ban on two chemicals in sunscreen that went into effect in 2021 is not enough, according to Maui County councilmember Kelly King.
King said banning Oxybenzone and Octinoxate to help protect Hawaiis marine ecosystem only solved part of the problem.
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Those chemical names are trademark names. So, you can take any of those chemicals, you can add a little something something to it, you can call it something else, and now its not on the list of banned chemicals, King said.
So, we just decided to go for it, make all chemicals illegal, do the most protective thing we could do.
Only mineral-based sunscreens can be used, sold or distributed on the Valley Isle starting Saturday, Oct. 1 unless the person has a prescription.
Fines run up to $1,000, but warnings are more likely to be issued through a complaint-based system with the Department of Environmental Management.
So, its not like we have the sunscreen police driving around, looking at peoples sunscreens and reading labels, King said.
She added that retailers and distributors will have to pay the most attention to the new rule.
Its highly unlikely that a tourist is going to get a warning and then be in the same place, you know, for the second warning and ever get a fine. But once we can eliminate the distribution, King said, then I think that slows it. Thatll make a tremendous difference.
Tourists will also need to be educated on the change, according to King. A similar bill is scheduled to go in effect on Thursday, Dec. 1 on Hawaii Island, but only for the sale and distribution of chemical sunscreens.
Allowing people to have that understanding that they can still use what theyd like to use, we just dont want a broader distribution and availability in our stores here, said Hawaii County councilmember Rebecca Villegas.
Lawmakers said a statewide ban on chemical sunscreens is tricky. Rep. Lisa Marten said there was pushback from health industries with concerns over skin cancer in the past.
And that is an extremely legitimate concern, you know, here in Hawaii we have very high rates of skin cancer, and if we didnt have great alternatives to the chemical sunscreens, then I wouldnt support it myself, Rep. Marten said.
Rep Marten said a statewide ban if it is proposed and passed would likely follow the Big Island model that still allows chemical sunscreens to be used but not sold.
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Thats what you see at this store, thats what you buy. It wont be a big deal, I dont see any reason to go after the individual consumers, Rep. Marten said.
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Maui bans chemical sunscreens, Hawaii Island to follow - KHON2
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