Palau will ban reef toxic sunscreen by 2020 in an effort to protect its coral reefs after the president of the country signed a bill into law.

President Tommy Remengesau Jr. signed The Responsible Tourism Education Act of 2018 on Oct. 25, which would ban the sunscreens in Palau starting in 2020.

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The law defines reef-toxic sunscreens as those containing oxybenzone, methyl paraben, ethyl paraben and other chemicals.

Anyone found selling or distributing the sunscreen will be subject to a $1,000 civil penalty per violation, and the sunscreen will be confiscated. Anyone entering Palau with the reef toxic sunscreen will have it confiscated, the law states.

Hawaii passed similar ban earlier this year

According to the legislative findings, measurable contamination of Palau's unique aquatic environments, including the world-famous Jellyfish Lake, by sunscreen chemicals has been documented.

The chemicals have been found to harm the development of coral, fish and other animals and can be heavily concentrated in swimming, snorkeling and diving areas popular with visitors, the findings state.

Hawaii has also passed a similar ban earlier this year banning sunscreens which contain oxybenzone and octinoxate, chemicals some scientists and lawmakers say are endangering coral reefs.

The Hawaii ban goes into effect in 2021.

Time to sell off supplies

In his message, Remengesau said the law will allow businesses a year to sell off their remaining inventory and the penalty will ensure the law will be followed.

He appreciates that the penalty is restricted to retailers, and the power to confiscate sunscreens should be enough to deter the non-commercial use, he wrote.

He said the sunscreen ban is especially timely given the recent decision to reopen Jellyfish Lake.

The lake had been closed to allow time for the jellyfish to recover after a bad drought.

The legislation was pushed by a Coral Reef Research Foundation 2017 report that found sunscreen products widespread in the lake.

Palau in the past several years has passed laws to protect its environment and bring more education to people who visit.

Palau's efforts to preserve marine life

Palau created one of the world's largest marine reserves of about 193,000 square miles, or 80 percent of its territorial waters. The Palau National Marine Sanctuary forbids any taking from the zone.

The remaining 20 percent remains open to fishing by locals and a limited number of small commercial operations.

In 2017, Palau launched the Palau Pledge, which requires all visitors to sign a pledge to the children of Palau, that they will preserve the island before they can enter the country.

The pledge was deemed necessary after careless behavior from visitors started to erode Palau's environment, a release on the pledge states.

On the flight to Palau visitors view a video featuring kids from Palau explaining the massive impact visitors can have on their home, the release states.

"While Palau may be a small-island nation, we are a large ocean-state and conservation is at the heart of our culture," Remengesau said.

In his message in signing the law, the president said education is an essential tool in keeping the environment safe.

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