Sunscreen lotion is a bleach for aquatic life...killing the coral reefs

Plopping down on the beach slathered from head to toe with sunscreen may help with the carcinoma, but the inevitable cooling dip in the ocean won't be good for the coral.

The creams that sunbathers use to ward off cancer-causing ultraviolet rays cause bleaching in coral reefs and seem to accumulate in fish and other aquatic life, according to recent studies.

The discovery creates a catch-22 for pale-skinned, sun-worshiping environmentalists who love to snorkel. But it is a particular problem for the environment because sunscreen is used almost everywhere on Earth, and it invariably ends up in the water.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/12/BAL21103UD.DTL

"Almost 80 percent of our water in the U.S. shows trace amounts of chemicals from personal care products, which could be sunscreens, lotions, colognes or medications," said Sejal Choksi, the program director for Baykeeper, an environmental watchdog group.

Sun care products, including lotions and lip balms, bring in an estimated $1 billion a year in the United States alone, and a lot of it is used in tropical vacation spots. As much as 6,000 tons of sunscreen ends up in the coral reefs where people swim and snorkel every year, according to estimates by environmental groups and the World Trade Organization.

A recent study authorized by the European Commission found that the chemical compounds that filter ultraviolet radiation in cream-based sunscreens caused bleaching in coral reefs.

The study, published in the U.S. journal Environmental Health Perspectives, showed that even small amounts of the chemicals made the algae on coral susceptible to viral infection. The killing, or bleaching, of the algae - which have a symbiotic relationship with the coral - is a death knell for the whole structure.


more.....http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/13/BA4Q10USHM.DTL

According to Environmental Science and Technology Online's Robert Weinhold, 4 ingredients commonly found in sunscreens that tend to wash off into the water - a paraben preservative, cinnamate, benzophenone and a camphor derivative (the last 3 are UV filters) - cause bleaching by killing zooxanthellae, the algae that form a symbiotic relationship with corals - even at very low levels.

This is why people used to wear hats and stuff. There isn't much way around it. You either slather on chemicals or you cover up. I wonder with this knowledge, how many people would actually change their behavior and give up sunscreen and sunbathing?

Carribean Sol (www.caribbean-sol.com), Mexitan, Kiss My Face, and Smartshield all carry coral-safe, biodegradable sunscreens made from natural ingredients that break down. You will probably need to reapply frequently, though. I'm sure many biodegradable sunscreens can be found at Rainbow Grocery.

Zinc oxide.

It's not chemical, it blocks the UVB and UVA rays, doesn't irritate skin, etc. These days companies are using micronized zinc so you don't have that opaque white cream the lifeguards used to wear on their noses.

I had melanoma so I did a lot of research into this.

and other environmental degradation? Are there commerical brands available now?

I just read about his last week. It's a big, big issue. An alternative is really needed.

I only know that it's non-chemical (which is always a plus in my book). Don't know if any studies have been done on its environmental impact.

There are several brands available now, although products containing chemical sunscreens dominate. Just read the labels. You can also Google micronized zinc oxide.

Zinc chemical, Oxygen chemical, Zinc oxide chemical.

Just as carcinogenic as the UV rays they protect us from.

Yet another reason to use zinc oxide!!

I don't DO "sunbathing". I tend to spend my "beach time" in the water.
Best to do it early or late, and avoid the noonday sun.

The fact that suntan lotion washes off in the water is not only a problem for marine life.
It also means the suntan lotion is no longer on your skin where you need it!

Snorkeling is best done in the middle of the day when the light is better.
So wear a t-shirt to save your back from getting sunburned.

It is good that they are developing coral-friendly sunblock now.
Thanks for posting this.
Kicked and recommended.

The next time we go to Calif to lay on the beach, I will make sure to buy from caribbean-sol...which I just bookmarked.

Amazing!

:shrug:

the existence of coral-safe sunscreens. Coral death is a serious enough issue to consider an outright ban on anything else.

Some researchers feel there's been a bit of overkill in the skin-cancer prevention game.

It does coincide with a lucrative marketing agreement between American Cancer Society and Neutrogena.



"As the advertisement says, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer. But most skin cancer is not life-threatening: it represents less than 2 percent of all cancer deaths, an estimated 10,850 people this year. Almost all of those deaths are from melanoma, which makes up only 6 percent of all skin-cancer cases.

And the link between melanoma and sun exposure is not straightforward. Dr. Marianne Berwick, an epidemiologist at the University of New Mexico who studies skin cancer, led a study published in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 2005 finding that people who had a lot of sun exposure up to the time they got a diagnosis of melanoma actually had better survival rates than those who had little sun exposure. The researchers are conducting a large-scale follow-up aimed at clarifying the relationship between sun exposure and melanoma.

Until that is made clear, many doctors say, it is premature to suggest that people are endangering their lives by failing to use sunscreen."


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/10/health/10skin.html?_r=1&oref=slogin