The conservation of Earths oceans is becoming a primary concern for the international community (and the world at large) in the last few decades. Since human waste and pollution activities have started to have an extremely negative effect on our atmosphere and water. And new research ilustrates yet another way that humans are harming contributing to ocean contamination, and it suggests that we may need to alter one of the items that is most common at any beach: sunscreen.
According to a new study by the Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, a common ingredient in sunscreen can cause harmful damage and even kill our oceans vibrant ad endangered coral reefs. The chemical, Oxybenzone, can be extremely toxic especially to young coral growths, even a small amount can be highly problematic for the delicate life forms. At a concentration equal to 62 parts oxybenzone to one trillion parts water, oxybenzone can kill young coral.
If the concentration of oxybenzone in the water becomes too high it can kill adult coral – the chemicals coat algae that makes up parts the reefs, resulting in the death of the algae. These algae, which provide nutrients to coral structures, are a foundational organism in the coral reef community and as they die, the entire reef begins to break down as a result.
As the reef is deprived of nutrients it bleaches and turns white, becomes so frail that it easily crumbles and eventually becomes a “skeleton reef”. This phenomenon is called coral bleaching. On top of chemicals like those found in sunscreen, global warming makes things worse as seas get hotter. Warm water stresses the coral reefs and enables bleaching. Though coral can recover from this bleaching, it is much more prone to damage and will likely never heal fully.
According to NPR, roughly 14,000 tons of sunscreen lotion ends up polluting coral reefs each year. Oxybenzone levels are extremely high in popular beach locations like Hawaii and the Caribbean. Currently, over 80 percent of the coral reefs in the Caribbeans have been lost, and that kind of severe loss of a habitat has devastated the populations of many ocean species. Researchers are calling for a concentrated effort to inform the public on just how harmful sunscreens containing oxybenzone can be to the oceans. Even a small cutback in sunscreen usage could make a difference in whether or not the coral reefs die or recover from coral bleaching. Ideally, the companies that make these products would find a substitute for Oxybenzone an it could be phased out of production.
Sunscreens which contain natural zinc oxide and titanium oxide are far less damaging to coral, and they are just as effective at protecting skin from harmful UV rays. Oxybenzone can actually irritate human skin just as much as it can irritate coral reefs so by switching to a more natural sunscreen, you can improve your own health while protecting Earth’s oceans.