Does Sun Screen Kill Coral Reef?

[Amphigorey]

Sunscreen can leach into the ocean and turn into benzene rings, which can adversely affect fish. It especially affects the hormonal levels of some fishes, notably the ones who change sex. Benzene rings can cause sex changes too early, or prevent them. Obviously this hurts the reproductive capabilities of the fish.

As divers, we have a responsibility to protect the reefs we enjoy. It's easy to use reef-safe sunscreen instead of regular sunscreen.

 

[oceanrealmmedia]

...but going without sunscreen will give you certain types of cancer, not to mention all the wrinkles you end up with. It may not bother you (or it may be too late) but it seems like a good idea to me to set a good example for young people.

You don't have to choose between cancer and wrinkles or coral reefs. A product called EcoLogical Sunscreen is relatively inexpensive, protects your skin and the skin of those you care about, and doesn't hurt the environment. It is the only sunscreen endorsed by the Surfrider Foundation and you can find it in many resorts or dive shops (or buy it online here Green of Sheila Eco-Friendly Products | Sheila Greenfield | Ecological Sunscreen | JellyFish StingOUT | Quease Ease Anti-Queasiness Inhailer or contact me). The endorsement by Surfrider Foundation was given because EcoLogical Suncare products don't have any of the effects on coral that others do and you can be doing your part - even if it is just a small bit.

Keep in mind that up to 6000 tons of sunscreen washes off of tourists each year, mostly in the tropical areas where we all like to hang out and many of us make a living.

The sunscreen causes bleaching of the reefs in this way (from National Geographic News in 2008)

Four commonly found sunscreen ingredients can awaken dormant viruses in the symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae that live inside reef-building coral species.

The chemicals cause the viruses to replicate until their algae hosts explode, spilling viruses into the surrounding seawater, where they can infect neighboring coral communities.


Zooxanthellae provide coral with food energy through photosynthesis and contribute to the organisms' vibrant color. Without them, the coral "bleaches"—turns white—and dies.


The researchers estimate that 4,000 to 6,000 metric tons of sunscreen wash off swimmers annually in oceans worldwide, and that up to 10 percent of coral reefs are threatened by sunscreen-induced bleaching.


The study appeared online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.


Activated Viruses


Danovaro and his team studied the effects of sunscreen exposure on coral samples from reefs in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.
Even low levels of sunscreen, at or below the typical amount used by swimmers, could activate the algae viruses and completely bleach coral in just four days, the results showed.


Seawater surrounding coral exposed to sunscreen contained up to 15 times more viruses than unexposed samples.


Several brands of popular sunscreens were tested and all had four ingredients in common: paraben, cinnamate, benzophenone, and a camphor derivative.

Dangerous Dose


Robert van Woesik, a coral expert at the Florida Institute of Technology, was not involved in the research.


He questions whether conditions in the study accurately reflect those found in nature.


For example, the coral samples were exposed to sunscreen while in plastic bags to avoid contaminating the reefs. But van Woesik worries this prevented dilution of the chemicals through natural water circulation.


"Under normal situations on a coral reef, corals would not be subjected to these high concentrations because of rapid dilution," van Woesik said.


But according to study author Danovaro, the effect is not dose dependent—so coral's exposure to a very small dose of sunscreen is just as dangerous as a high exposure.


"It is more like on-off," he said. "Once the viral epidemic is started, it is not a problem of toxicity."----
Swimmers' Sunscreen Killing Off Coral

The latest research on skin cancer and UVA1 radiation is here Cancer Journal: Latest cancer research UVA1 ultraviolet radiation causes similar carcinogenic skin lesions to UVB | ecancermedicalscience