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FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2019
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CREAM OF THE CORALS
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NEWS
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Smart Driver’s Licences launch hits legal curb
LIFE
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Baz Daniel looks back at the ride of a lifetime Photo: Prarop Plangngarn, Chief of the Phuket Marine National Park Operation Center 2
SUNSCREEN AMONG CONTRIBUTING FACTORS KILLING PHUKET’S CORAL REEFS The Phuket News editor@classactmedia.co.th
T
he impact of harmful contaminants in sunscreen as a contributing factor in the deaths of coral reefs around Phuket will be presented to Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan and other high-ranking officials at a Cabinet meeting in Bangkok today (Jan 18). Leading the presentation will be Tanu Nabnien, Director of the conservation group Andaman Organisation for Participatory Restoration of Natural Resource. Mr Tanu is also the Andaman region representative
of a national committee to protect marine and coastal resources. Joining him will be Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) regional chief Watcharin Na Thalang, responsible for all marine natural resources along the Andaman coast. Mr Tanu includes the harmful elements found in artificial sunprotection creams among the fallout from human activities that are killing the reefs around Phuket. “Sunscreen is not a major factor alone, but it is one element that is contributing to the damage being done to corals around Phuket, along with tourism activities such as ‘try dive’
tours, snorkelling and scuba diving, commercial fishing, wastewater, and others,” he told The Phuket News this week. “Phuket’s coral reefs need more protection. Sunscreen is not a main variable directly causing damage to corals, but it will be good to start raising awareness about it at this meeting,” he added. Dr Nalinee Thongtham, an expert at the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC), explained that while the parts per million of the harmful elements in sunscreens are not enough to directly cause corals to die, they do interfere with corals’ health to the point that the corals become much
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weaker in recovering from other effects, even coral bleaching from warmer water temperatures. In contained environments, the effect can be much more pronounced. In announcing the indefinite closure of the world-famous Maya Bay at Phi Phi Island in October last year, Chongkhlai Woraphongsathorn, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Natural Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), explained to the press that the hordes of tourists applied sunscreeen lotions before swimming in the bay without knowing that such chemicals eventually killed or seriously damaged the corals…
SPORT
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Disabled sailing boat makes European debut