Researchers have discovered a method through which oxybenzone, a popular sunscreen ingredient, harms corals.
The unexpected discoveries may help in the creation and commercialization of efficient, coral-safe sunscreens.
Healthy Coastal ecosystems are one of the most important ecosystems on the planet. They provide economic and environmental services worth billions of dollars, such as food, coastal protection, and tourism.
Coral poisoning due to sunscreens
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According to research main author Djordje Vuckovic, a Ph.D. student in civil and environmental engineering, it would be a tragic irony if ecotourism targeted at conserving coral reefs was really increasing their loss.
The goal would be that the research will pave the path for the development of coral-safe sunscreens.
According to the National Park Service, up to 6,000 tons of sunscreen, equivalent to the weight of 50 blue whales, wash over U.S. reef regions each year, as per ScienceDaily.
For some years, scientists have known that oxybenzone, an organic chemical contained in many sunscreens, might harm corals.
As a result, sunscreens containing this chemical have been prohibited in the United States.
Among other places are the Virgin Islands and Hawaii, the island country of Palau, and Bonaire, a Dutch island municipality.
However, the processes through which oxybenzone causes harm are largely unknown, making it difficult to confirm that sunscreen ingredients recommended as substitutes are genuinely safer for corals.
William Mitch, a Stanford professor of civil and environmental engineering, became interested in the topic some years ago after learning about Hawaii's impending ban.
He and John Pringle, a professor of genetics at the Stanford School of Medicine, began work to identify the chemical and biological processes by which oxybenzone affects corals using support from the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.
The researchers caution that oxybenzone may not be the only sunscreen component to be concerned about.
The same metabolic processes that appear to transform oxybenzone into a strong toxin for corals may also do so with other popular sunscreen chemicals, many of which have similar chemical structures and hence may generate comparable phototoxic metabolites.
Many coral-safe sunscreens are made from metals like zinc and titanium, rather than chemical components like oxybenzone.
Although these sunscreens work in fundamentally different ways, it is unclear if they are genuinely safer for corals, according to the researchers, who aim to look into the topic more.
Global warming, unethical fishing, territory pollution, coastal erosion, illness, and invasive species are all severe challenges to coral reefs across the world, as per NOAA.
Scientists have also identified that some of the chemicals present in sunscreen and other personal care items endanger coral reef health.
The effects of these and other chemicals on reef ecosystems are still being studied.
Issues have been expressed concerning sunscreens' toxicological effects on a wide range of marine and freshwater aquatic creatures, notably corals.
At the same time, there are fears that individuals would use less sunscreen rather than sunscreens with UV filters that are considered acceptable for the environment.
The present state of knowledge on the use of commercially marketed sunscreen chemicals, their destiny and effects in aquatic habitats, and the possible public health consequences connected with changes in sunscreen consumption will be reviewed in this study.
