😯 Did you know, up to 6,000 tons of sunscreen are estimated to wash into 🌊coral reefs around the globe each year⁉️
🏞 The National Park Service also cautions, rather than being evenly distributed, much of that sunscreen is concentrated at popular diving, swimming, and snorkeling sites—such as national parks. It might seem like an innocent thing to do, especially since as children we’re taught to always put on sunscreen before going to the beach. As we grow and learn more about our environmental impacts, it is important that we take the right actions to help mitigate any potential hazards or negative impacts.
☀️ If you use sunscreen while at the beach make sure that you check the label before you put it on. If you’re in the store and you’re going to buy some sunscreen, check the label before you pay for it. Make sure your sunscreen does not contain the following harmful substances on the HEL list:
🚫Oxybenzone
🚫Octinoxate
🚫Octocrylene
🚫4-methylbenzylidene camphor
🚫PABA
🚫Parabens
🚫Triclosan
🚫Any nanoparticles or “nano-sized” zinc or titanium (if it doesn’t explicitly say “micro-sized” or “non-nano” and it can rub in, it’s probably nano-sized)
🚫
Any form of microplastic, such as “exfoliating beads”
⚠️ Make sure that the sunscreen you buy is labeled with the PS&L “Protect Land + Sea.” certification mark. ⚠️
🤔 The PL&S Certification Seal means that the product has been laboratory‐tested using analytical‐forensic techniques to verify that the product is free of the chemicals that are on the “HEL LIST.”📝
🌎 The HEL(Haereticus Environmental Laboratory) LIST is a list of chemicals that are known pollutants in many different environments (freshwater streams, river, beaches, and ocean systems) or wildlife (e.g., corals, fish, birds, marine mammals, sea turtles). All of them pose a threat to Ecosystem Health.🌏
If we all work together and are mindful of the environment, we can start seeing some positive changes. If we choose to ignore the signs that we’re seeing from the ocean, we can witness the eradication of our coral reefs within our lifetime.
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