“Even in areas popular with swimmers, and with the highest concentrations of sunscreen chemicals, the levels of those chemicals in the water, on average, are still quite a bit lower than those reported in the majority of studies to be toxic to marine life,” Bargar says.
Field researchers generally find much lower levels of chemicals in the water than what is used in laboratory settings. Geological Survey’s Wetland and Aquatic Research Center. “A lot of those studies report toxicity, but the real question is whether the organisms are being exposed to a level of that chemical they would ever see in the environment,” says Timothy Bargar, PhD, an ecotoxicologist at the U.S. In these settings, corals are exposed to high levels of sunscreen chemicals to see how it affects them. However, the majority of the research looking at harmful effects of sunscreen ingredients on coral reefs and other aquatic organisms has been done in the lab, and lab studies can only tell part of the story. “Octocrylene is bad for fish, corals, and other invertebrates,” Downs says. “Damage to those plants puts more stress on the animals that depend on them.” Downs has also done research showing that the sunscreen ingredient octocrylene may generate the chemical benzophenone-a compound that is a carcinogen and may have hormone-disrupting effects. “Seagrass and algae are critical habitats and food for coral reef fish and other marine life,” he says. “Oxybenzone, which is just one of the sunscreen contaminants, has a major toxicological effect on plants and algae,” says Craig Downs, PhD, executive director of the nonprofit Haereticus Environmental Laboratory and an author of the study. Coral also had DNA damage and abnormalities in its growth and skeleton. It found that baby coral exposed to oxybenzone exhibited signs of distress, including coral bleaching-a condition that leaves coral vulnerable to infection and prevents it from getting the nutrients it needs to survive. For example, a 2016 study published in the journal Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology was one of the first to raise concerns.
COOLA SUNSCREEN NEAR ME SKIN
Oxybenzone and octinoxate are part of a group of chemical active ingredients in sunscreen-meaning they protect skin by absorbing the sun’s ultraviolet rays and then dissipating the energy. Several studies have shown that two common ultraviolet filters- oxybenzone and octinoxate-may have the most detrimental effects. This body of research-while still not definitive-has raised concerns that some sunscreen ingredients may be causing harm. Over the past decade or so, many researchers have studied the possible impact of sunscreen ingredients on coral reefs, aquatic plants, fish, and other marine life. Here’s what we do (and don’t) know about sunscreen and marine life. They are reviewing the current research and plan to release a report on their findings sometime in 2022.įor now, consumers who are equally concerned about protecting their skin and the environment face tricky choices and no definitive answer to the question of what’s safe. Interest in reef-friendly sun protection options, from both consumers and researchers, led the National Academy of Sciences to convene a committee of experts. “The problem at the moment is that we have concerned consumers, but the scientific evidence is not there yet to properly evaluate sunscreen’s impact."
“This is an evolving-and confusing-field scientifically, and a lot of the current information is contradictory,” says Michael Gonsior, PhD, associate professor, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. But just what “reef safe” means is unclear, and the science surrounding the possible threat sunscreen that poses to the environment is far from settled.
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