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The Great Barrier Reef was declared an official site for the sixth consecutive year in the last 25. Is bleaching an option?. During bleaching events people are quick and furious to point fingers at different causes. sunscreen.
Why sunscreen? Some active ingredients can get washed into the reef and cause contamination. So could this be the cause of the Barrier Reef’s bleaching?
In a nutshell, no. I reviewed the evidence to support sunscreen as a coral-risking agent in my Research in progressIt was found that, while sunscreen chemicals can pose a threat to corals in laboratory conditions (e.g., sunblock), they are very rare in real-world environments.
Coral bleaching is more likely to occur due to climate change and the increased sea temperatures.
Why are we concerned about the environmental impact of sunscreens
The active ingredients in sunscreen can leach into the water from the skin after we have applied it. After swimming, soaps or detergents can strip these sunscreen chemicals and then send them into our waterways. They go through treatment facilities which cannot effectively remove them and end in rivers and oceans.
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It’s no surprise, then, that sunscreen contamination has been detected in freshwater and seas across the globe, from SwitzerlandTo BrazilAnd Hong Kong. Because people are more likely swim in the summer, contamination is higher in the summer months. It also peaks at the hours after people have finished.
Four years ago, Palau, an island nation in the Pacific, announced plans to merge with other countries. Ban all sunscreensDue to concerns over the potential risk they pose to corals, certain synthetic active ingredients are not permitted. Similar bansHawaii announced the plans, as well as a variety of tourist areas in the Americas or Caribbean.
These bans were based on independent scientific research. Commissioned reportsResearchers have detected contamination of water from rivers, lakes, and beaches by active ingredients in sunscreen.
Continue reading:
There’s not enough evidence to show that sunscreen damages coral reefs.
Notably, many of the countries and regions that have banned these active ingredients, such as Bonaire and Mexico have a strong reliance on summer tourism. If tourists choose to travel elsewhere, coral bleaching can be a disaster for these areas as well as an economic loss.
How do we know sunscreen isn’t the issue?
So if contamination concerns over these active ingredients are warranted, how can we be sure they’re not the cause of the bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef?
Simply put, the bleaching is caused by too low levels of chemicals.
Most products use synthetic ingredients that are extremely toxic. HydrophobicAnd Lipophilic. They avoid water and are fond of fats, which makes it difficult for them to dissolve in water. They’d much prefer to stay in the skin until they break down.
Continue reading:
Research Check: Should we be concerned that sunscreen chemicals could get into our bloodstream?
The environment has very low levels of these substances. How low is it? Think nanograms/litre (a nanogram = 0.000000001 grams) and micrograms/litre (a microgram = 0.00001 grams). Significantly higher levels can be found in some sediments and waste water treatment sludge, but not in the water.
How can we reconcile this with research showing that sunscreen can cause coral damage? Many active ingredients in sunscreen can also cause coral damage under laboratory conditions. Mussels, Fish, Small crustaceans, and plantlike organisms such algae and phytoplankton.
The key phrase above is “under laboratory conditions”. While these studies would suggest sunscreens are a real threat to reefs, it’s important to know the context.
Studies like these are usually conducted under artificial conditions which can’t account for natural processes. They usually don’t account for the breakdown of the chemicals by sunlight or dilution through water flow and tides. These tests also use sunscreen concentrations up to thousands of times higher – milligrams per litre – compared to real world contamination levels found in collected samples.
Laboratory-only studies do not provide reliable information about the effects of these chemicals under real world conditions.
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If it’s not sunscreen, what is it?
According to a study, the biggest threats to the reef are climate changes, coastal development, run-off from land-based pesticides, herbicides and other pollutants, as well as direct human use such illegal fishing. 2019 outlook report issued by the reef’s managing body.
One-celled organisms are what give reefs their striking colours. zooxanthellaeCorals are home to organisms that live and grow inside them. Importantly, these organisms grow only under certain conditions, such as very narrow bands of temperature or light levels. When conditions go outside the zooxanthellaes’ preferred zone, they die and the coral turns white.
This bleaching is most likely to be caused by the following: Climate ChangeThis has led to an increase in ocean acidity and temperatures. It has also caused more flooding, storms and cyclones that block light and stir the ocean floor.
You don’t have to worry about the effects of sunscreen on the environment. No. Sunscreen should continue to be a key part our sun protection strategy. This is to protect skin against UV damage, prevent skin carcinomas, and slow down the visible signs that ageing. Sunscreen is not the only thing that can cause problems for coral reefs.
