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Staghorn coral populations in the Florida Keys are on the brink of extinction due to a severe bleaching event that began in the summer of 2023. On Tuesday, March 10, 2026, a California Assembly committee voted to advance a consumer transparency bill that would restrict sunscreeen products from being labeled as \u201creef safe\u201d when they contains chemicals harmful to marine life.<\/p>\n
Miami Herald file photo<\/p>\n
California\u2019s environmental committee legislators unanimously voted Tuesday to advance a consumer transparency bill that would prohibit sunscreen products from being inaccurately labeled as \u201creef safe,\u201d \u201creef friendly,\u201d \u201cocean safe,\u201d \u201cmarine safe\u201d when the products contain chemicals harmful to marine ecosystems.<\/p>\n
Proposed in February, the Assembly Bill 1744 is co-authored by Assemblymembers Gregg Hart, D-Santa Barbara, and Dawn Addis, D-Morro Bay. Addis stressed that reefs and marine ecosystems are a vital pillar of the state\u2019s biodiversity and economy, with coastal tourism generating about $51 billion a year \u2014 and that \u201cmanmade factors\u201d are damaging both.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the major problems is that certain chemicals that are commonly found in sunscreen are of a particular concern, because when you get in the water, they wash off your body and into the ocean,\u201d Addis said during the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd these chemicals have harmed coral and other marine life by disrupting photosynthesis, damaging DNA, and causing coral bleaching,\u201d she continued, adding that the bill would provide consumers clarity regarding the products.<\/p>\n
While coral reefs cover just 1% of the ocean floor, about 25% of fish depend on these \u201crainforests of the sea<\/a>.\u201d The United Nations\u2019 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change<\/a> found that, due to climate change and global warming, the world could see a devastating decline in coral reefs\u2014an estimated 70% to 90% loss\u2014by 2050.<\/p>\n Specifically, the bill targets chemical ultraviolet filters, widely known as UV filters. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency<\/a> warns that these filters can go into the environment when people wearing sunscreen swim or bathe and the chemicals wash off into wastewater. The agency has found that, while their impacts on marine environments are still being studied, these chemicals are present in water and sediment, as well as in marine animals.<\/p>\n The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<\/a> found that specific UV filters chemicals \u201ccan harm aquatic life, including corals,\u201d and notes that there are more environmentally friendly options, such as using mineral sunscreens and wearing UV protective clothing instead.<\/p>\n During Tuesday\u2019s hearing, vice chair of the committee, Stan Ellis, R-Bakersfield, shared his own back-of-the-envelope calculation to illustrate why he supports the bill.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you take three ounces of this sunscreen and you go in the water, and suppose there are 10,000 people on the beach \u2014 that\u2019s 30,000 ounces. That\u2019s 937 quarts\u2026which equivocates to almost one ton per day. That\u2019s significant,\u201d Ellis said.<\/p>\n This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 5:32 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n
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