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e-3364 (Environment)

E-petition
Initiated by Brody Bell from Saanich, British Columbia

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

Whereas:
  • 50% of coral has died due to climate change and pollution, and according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10% of this is caused by suncreen;
  • The Government of Canada has pledged to protect oceans;
  • The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that more than half a billion people depend on coral reefs for food, income, and protection;
  • Coral reefs are considered the 21st century medicine cabinet by the U.S. NOAA as they have been shown to have medicinal uses including treatment of cancers, heart disease, viruses, and more;
  • Oxybenzone, octocrylene, and octinoxate, active ingredients in many suncreens, have been shown to cause detriment to marine ecosystems, according to the NOAA;
  • NIH research into oxybenzone, octocrylene, and octinoxate have revealed harmful effects to human endorcrine systems;
  • Octocrylene degrades into benzophenone which has been shown to induce breast cancer in mice;
  • Oxybenzone and octinoxacte are both present in sunscreens as benzophenones, and are similary listed as possible carcinogens under the State of California's Proposition 65;
  • A NIH study showed a possible link between benzophenones and endometriosis; and
  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration only awarded the G.R.A.S.E. (Generally Recognized As Safe and Effective) status to two sunscreen ingredients, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
We, the undersigned, Citizens of Canada, call upon the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard to:
1. Ban the production of sunscreen containing oxybenzone, octinoxate, and octocrylene;
2. Additionally, prohibit sales, offers of sales, or distribution of any sunscreen that contains oxybenzone, octocrylene or octinoxate, or both, without a prescription issued by a licensed health care provider; and
3. Following the prohibtion, replace the above chemicals with an environmentally friendly substitute, such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
Open for signature
June 15, 2021, at 1:11 p.m. (EDT)
Closed for signature
October 13, 2021, at 1:11 p.m. (EDT)
Photo - Elizabeth May
Saanich—Gulf Islands
Green Party Caucus
British Columbia