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A bill that would prohibit local governments from banning certain types of sunscreen passed its final Senate committee Wednesday morning.

The bill comes in response to an ordinance passed by Key West that banned sunscreens containing certain chemicals believed to be harmful to coral reefs.

Senate Sponsor Rob Bradley argued banning sun screen discourages the public from protecting themselves from the sun and that the studies suggesting sunscreen can be harmful to corals are ‘junk science’.

“The science I’m concerned about is the dermatologists who tell me that when you live in Florida or you visit Florida and you don’t use sunscreen you can get sunburn and that can potentially develop into serious conditions like skin cancer. And Florida has the second highest rate in the country of new melanoma cases,” said Bradley.

Environmental groups opposed to the bill argued the science behind certain sunscreens’ impact on corals is not debatable.

They also noted there are effective sunscreens available that are not harmful to sea life.