Corals killed by sunscreen?

[fisherdvm]

Ruminations of an Aspiring Ecologist: Coral-Friendlier Sunscreen

Full study: click on the PDF or HTML at the bottom of the page for the full study .... Sunscreens Cause Coral Bleaching by Promoting Viral Infections

Interesting that the 3 sunscreen ingredients I recommend ( 1. Titanium, 2. Zinc, and 3. Avobenzone) do not cause coral kills.

Apparently sunscreen can block the sun, and causes viral reactivation which kills the corals. I know that all sunscreen are supposedly banned in the mexican marine parks.

 

[kdove]

they are "banned", but the last I heard on a dive boat was a very small mention of the "rules" against the use of them (no-one was checked.. or asked to wash off their coppertone.. before boarding). I have never seen them do a check. Bring a hat, and a long sleeved shirt.. and leave the greasy chemicals at home!!!
We do want to continue diving here... right???

 

[fisherdvm]

The guidelines are very vague in how to chose a sunscreen - as even the oil-free, chemical sunscreen free, hypoallergenic sunscreen by Neutrogena (Sensitive Skin) still has parabens (butylparaben) that harms coral:

Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide (9.1%)

Inactive Ingredients: Water, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Neopentyl Glycol Dioctanoate, Glycerin, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Isopropyl C12-15 Pareth-9 Carboxylate, Cetyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Steareth 21, Tocopherol, Calcium Pantothenate, Camellia Oleifera Extract, Panthenol, BHT, Neopentyl Glycol Diisostearate, Aluminum Hydroxide, Iron Hydroxide, Steareth 2, Stearic Acid, Trimethylolpropane Triethylhexanoate, Acrylate/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Disodium EDTA, Carbomer, Butylene Glycol, Triethanolamine, Butylparaben, Methylparaben, Isopropylparaben, Isobutylparaben

 

[fireflock]

The solution to pollution is dilution.

Well, not really, but the sunscreen thing has never made sense to me given the quantities (of sunscreen and ocean) involved.

 

[fisherdvm]

Chemical sunscreen are very active, they float (oil), and it doesn't take much to block the sunray. Just imagine, an SPF30 sunscreen will block 99% of ultraviolet light (takes 30 times the intensity of ultraviolet light to cause a burn).

Therefore, a thin amount close to where corals grow can be enough to shade the coral, cooling them down, and affecting their immunity.

With the prevailing wind, currents, etc... This oilsheen might persist in high enough concentration long enough to decrease the temperature for extended lenght of time. This is my understanding of the matter.

It is interesting how in some part of the world, you want to "shade" the coral. Whereas, in other part, you don't want to... That just demonstrate how sensitive these creatures are.

I can imagine a crowded tourist area like Hanauma bay where thousands of snorkeler, swimmers, etc. are dumping gallons of sunscreen into the confine space of the bay... That potentially can affect the corals.

 

[Tom Smedley]

Somebody pm Al Gore on this one.

 

[Papa_Bear]

Flawed study! They tied plastic bags over the coral witch blocks UV from the plastic! The alga dies and the coral in turn! So again people are supposed to get skin cancer or save the reef! Please! More ALGORE BS science! Why don't we just get off the planet so the coral will be okay until the sun blows up!

 

[creamofwheat]

Papa Bear, you don't have to get skin cancer to save the corals. There is such a thing as biodegradable sunscreen, which does not harm corals, and gives you the protection you need from the sun.

 

[meesier42]

how hard is it really to wear a hat and loose fitting long sleeve shirts or pants. In this case, I don't really care if the study was flawed or not, the argument makes sense and the recommendations are easy to follow, so what can it hurt.

 

[drbill]

At least I have an ecological reason to give when people ask why I don't wear sunscreen. Heck, the UV doesn't penetrate far in our murky waters anyway.