美国国家公共电台 NPR Many Common Sunscreens May Harm Coral. Here's What To Use Instead

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

This week, the governor of Hawaii is expected to sign the world's first ban on sunscreen sales. Research shows chemicals in some sunscreens may harm coral reefs. So the ban is good for coral, but what about people and their skin? Although the ban does not go into effect for another three years, people are asking about alternatives. NPR's April Fulton has more.

APRIL FULTON, BYLINE¹: The sunscreens Hawaii is banning include the chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate. And that's a big deal because 70 percent of sunscreens on the U.S. market contain oxybenzone. Jay Sirois is with the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, which represents sunscreen makers².

JAY SIROIS: We're taking away a product that has been shown over the course of time to be safe and effective.

FULTON: But some studies have found that oxybenzone contributes to the death of baby coral.

CRAIG DOWNS: When they come across oxybenzone, they just encase themselves in their own skeleton, effectively killing³ them.

FULTON: That's biologist Craig Downs. He runs the Haereticus Environmental Lab in Clifford, Va. And it's his research that prompted Hawaii's ban.

DOWNS: Sunscreen pollution doesn't kill all the world's coral reefs. It threatens coral reefs that are most important to people.

FULTON: Hawaii welcomes about 9 million tourists a year. That's a lot of people wearing sunscreen. But Jay Sirois says the study only looked at coral in the lab. And in the ocean, there are lots of other factors contributing to coral death.

SIROIS: We feel there's a number of flaws in the study. We feel that there's a much bigger body of evidence out there that demonstrates that there are other more proximate causes.

LISA CHIPPS: This ban confuses consumers.

FULTON: That's dermatologist⁴ Lisa Chipps, who has a practice in Beverly Hills. She worries the ban may discourage people from wearing sunscreen when they're finally getting the message that the sun's rays are really damaging.

CHIPPS: The cumulative⁵ ultraviolet damage that our skin receives every single day damages the cells and predisposes us to skin cancers as well as aging.

FULTON: If your favorite sunscreen's on the list, there are other options. The FDA has approved 16 active ingredients for sunscreens. So check the label. They don't all contain banned chemicals. Or you could use a mineral-based sunscreen that protects skin by reflecting the sun's rays. Whatever you choose, here are the important things to consider.

CHIPPS: As a general rule, most patients should be wearing a sunscreen that is an SPF of 30 or higher and that is broad spectrum⁶ to protect against both UVA and UVB damage.

FULTON: But how much attention are people really paying to their sunscreen? I went to sunny Santa Monica Pier⁷ to find out.

Do you know what's in your sunscreen?

DEBBIE LAB: Absolutely not.

FULTON: Do you have it with you?

LAB: Yeah.

FULTON: Let's take a look - avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene. OK. You might actually be OK.

That's Debbie Lab from Denver. With that sunscreen, she'd passed the Hawaii test. But, really, the best thing you can do to protect your skin is cover up with hats and clothing and stay out of the sun between 10 and 2 when it's really strong. April Fulton, NPR News, Los Angeles.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 dermatologist   

n.皮肤科医师

参考例句：

• I think you should see a dermatologist first.我想你应当先看皮肤科大夫。
• The general practitioner referred her patient to a dermatologist.家庭医生把她的病人交给了皮肤科医生。

5 cumulative   

adj.累积的，渐增的

参考例句：

• This drug has a cumulative effect.这种药有渐增的效力。
• The benefits from eating fish are cumulative.吃鱼的好处要长期才能显现。

6 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

7 pier   

n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱

参考例句：

• The pier of the bridge has been so badly damaged that experts worry it is unable to bear weight.这座桥的桥桩破损厉害，专家担心它已不能负重。
• The ship was making towards the pier.船正驶向码头。