b'W hat if one of the best things you could do for ocean health was also one of the easiest? It is.Stream2Sea makes dispensers similarThe chemicals found in most sunscreens are toxic to coralthe prime driver ofto the common hand sanitizer stations.undersea life and associated tourism. While difficult issues like carbon emissions and plastic refuse are important, simplyare using a nano particle in a mineral squeezing a different tube of sunscreensunscreen, you might as well be using the can help regenerate this rapidly decliningchemicals because theyre just as bad for resource. the reefs, she said. And the science on If cruise ships and land-based resortshuman safety with nano materials is still offered a simple lesson on why mineral- not clear. We know they soak through based sunscreen is better than the tradi- the outer layer of skin, what happens then tional chemical stuff, the reefs that theis unknown.tourism industry depends on would be in much better shape. LawsCoral-safe sunblock maker Stream2SeaEducating consumers and lawmakers even makes dispensers similar to theis difficult.(ADVERTISEMENT)common hand sanitizer stations. Its hard enough to educate consumers While scuba diving in Palau, Stream2Seato avoid oxybenzone and octinoxate. founder Autumn Blum witnessed the sun- Marketing terms like Reef Safe are not screen oil slicks around snorkelers. regulated. Octocrylene or other poten-That was the first time that I reallytially dangerous elements could be in Reef thought about how the products we putSafe sunscreen.on our bodies could impact our waters,Its two steps forward and one step back, Blum said. Our formulating strategy was to bebut thats typical with most environmental free of any ingredients that were knownissues. Any step in the right direction is a Non-nano or suspected to harm the aquatic environ- positive change, she said. All the coastal Oxybenzone and other chemicals foundment, then to test the formulas for actualcommunities are talking about it, even if in most sunscreens can also be harmfulaquatic safety. I knew how to formulatethey arent passing legislation, she said.to human health, especially reproductiveproducts that were safe for humans, butUsing the wrong sunscreen isnt limited health for both men and women, Blumthere is very little knowledge about whatto snorkeling either. Cruise ship and sho-said. The chemicals actually soak into theis safe for the reef, she said.reside water treatment plants have no fatty layers of the skin to absorb and dif- Blum, a chemist for cosmetic companies,way of filtering out the harmful chemicals fuse UV rays. Mineral-based sunscreensknew she needed a more user-friendlyin standard sunscreens. What gets washed like Stream2Sea, however, stay on theproduct than the old whitenose lifeguardoff in the shower will eventually make its skins surface to reflect these rays.zinc. way to a coral reef.In unchartered territory, it took someOffering guests a safe sunscreen, thats time to get the testing right. Stream2Seaalso safe for the ocean, is another op-had to be effective, non-toxic to coral andportunity for the cruise industry to lead fish, and easy to apply.the way.I found non-nano titanium dioxide was the most environmentally stable of all the ingredients we could use in an SPF prod-uct, Blum said. That non-nano element is important. Not all oxybenzone-free sunscreen is created equally. Although titanium dioxide is safe, adding the nano element for smoother application makes it deadly to coraldefeating the entire purpose.Theres no debate at all. Even the manufacturers safety data sheets will tell you that nano minerals are harmful. If you Cru i seIndu Csrtruyi sNe eIwnsd uQsutrayr tNerelwy sM: MagHazAin 3e5: W 0207 43thAinnnteirv e2r0s1a9ry/2 CIN_Stream2sea_advertorial_winter_2019.indd 50 11/12/2019 16:25'