Some sunscreens could be banned in order to protect coral reefs in Hawaii

Hawaii could soon be the first place in the world to ban the sale of sunscreens believed to be harmful to coral reefs.

The state senate there passed the legislation on Wednesday.

If signed by that state's governor, Senate Bill 2571 will ban the sale of over the counter sunscreen with oxybenzone and octinoxate.

The bill's author said the two chemicals have been shown to degrade the resiliency of coral and its ability to adjust to climate change factors and inhibit recruitment of new corals.

If signed into law, the new rules will go into effect January 1, 2021.