Under the Sea (Shreya Lingam)

Who doesn’t love relaxing beaches? Having fun under the sun?One of the things to always check off your to do list before a trip usually always includes packing sunscreen for a a pleasant beach going experience. But, how does the seemingly innocent and protective nature of sunscreens effect the environment?

Generally, sunscreens are divided into two categories: chemical and mineral sunscreens. Chemical sunscreens, 70% of which contain oxybenzone, convert UV rays into less harmful rays by absorbing and reducing the ability of UV rays to penetrate the skin. Alternatively, mineral sunscreens actually physically block light from your skin by blocking or reflecting UV A and UV B rays and are typically comprised of the ingredients zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

How though are sunscreens causing the significant deaths of coral reefs? The problem is that a 2016 study conducted by Craig Downs and others at the Haereticus Environmental Laboratory has demonstrated that both oxybenzone and octinoxate, which end up in the water by chemical sunscreens washing off through showering and swimming, are responsible for slowing the growth of coral and increasing the rate of coral bleaching. Coral bleaching involves such a drastic temperature change that causes symbiotic algae to die off and turn the corals completely white in appearance, which makes them susceptible to harmful algae, disease, and death. Also, oxybenzone has proven to be an endocrine disrupter where the epidermal cells of coral larvae turn into a skeleton at the wrong point in time, and cause larvae to stop swimming and to die.
This has caused Hawaiian Governor David Ige to sign a bill in early July of 2018 that banned selling popular sunscreens such as Banana Boat and Coppertone, which are composed of the ingredients oxybenzone and octinoxate, and will go into effect in 2021. A study performed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that the coral reefs in Hawaii are worth approximately $33.57 billion. The Hawaiian coral reefs not only attract attention from tourists, which contributes to Hawaii’s booming tourism industry, but they also serve to protect coasts from storms and erosion and can serve as habitats for numerous marine animals. Around 6,000 to 14,000 tons of sunscreen end up in the coral reefs year, indicating that some sort of action must be taken in order to preserve the world’s coral reefs in order to minimize any damage wrought upon both the marine ecosystem and humans as well.
The problem is that limited research has shown that mineral sunscreens are no better than chemical sunscreens. Cinzia Corinaldesi and her fellow colleagues at the Polytechnic University of Marche in Ancona, Italy have been testing supposedly coral reef friendly mineral sunscreens since 2009 and have concluded that these mineral sunscreens are just as detrimental as zinc oxide has been found to contribute significantly to coral bleaching through damage to algae. Furthermore, the ban has implied that sunscreens are not safe enough to use, which poses a tremendous risk to the public as they might stop wearing sunscreen altogether as advised by dermatologists who claim that this could expose beach goers and tourists to the risk of skin cancer. The Hawaiian ban in particular also poses some limitations as both sunscreen can easily be smuggled into Hawaii as well as many other products such as cosmetics also contain ingredients like oxybenzone. Ultimately, a lot more research needs to be conducted into the extent of the harmful effects of both chemical and mineral sunscreens on the marine ecosystem and more viable alternatives need to be actually presented. So, what are other anthropogenic causes of degradation of the marine ecosystem? What other feasible ways can we protect both the coral reefs and our health?

Sources:

Comments

Anonymous said…
This was a very interesting topic! Skincare fanatics rave about the benefits of wearing sunscreen at all times, but is it really this bad for the environment? Until scientists find a coral reef-safe sunscreen, what should we do? Skin cancer rates are increasingly rising in the US, and for us to forgo the sunscreen to save coral reefs...? How can we make it work? During my trip to Florida with my sister, she forgot her sunscreen and burnt like a cookie. She went through multiple bottles of aloe vera and struggled with red, hot, peeling skin. Me, on the other hand, applied sunscreen every hour, so my tanning/burning was kept to a minimum. I hope we can find a viable balance between the two.
February 25, 2019 at 1:26 PM
Anonymous said…
I had no idea that sunscreen could be so harmful to the environment. I hope that we can find a environmentally friendly sunscreen becuase if humans are forced to choose between themselves and the environment, the majority will close their own health. We definitely need to invest time and money to research different alternatives which will not harm the environment as much as typical sunscreens. We need more awareness about these issues becuase they are quite unknown to the general public.
February 25, 2019 at 2:17 PM
Anonymous said…
I always knew that most sunscreens were bad for the environment. However, I never thought that even mineral sunscreens could be bad. It’s ironic how we wear sunscreen to cope with our dismissing ozone layer and that sunscreen just goes right back into the Earth further destroying it. This problem could have been avoided all together if we cared for the environment better. Now having greatly destroyed our home we struggle to even keep it from getting worse. Luckily, I can be guilt free on this topic. I have often chosen to protect my skin with the barriers of the indoors rather than sunblock!
February 25, 2019 at 3:56 PM
Anonymous said…
I never thought about the harmful consequences we may have because of sunscreen. In the society today, it is always seen as protective and a must have before going out into the sun. I think that skincare and the fear of skin cancer overcompasses the idea of sunscreen actually a negative to the ecosystem. Although it is very important to care for our skin, I think that we would need to address this problem and raise awareness of how using sunscreen may not be all that positive (maybe even looking into a new source of sunscreen should be sought after). I hope that we can find a solution soon because as the awareness of keeping our skin safe rises, the use of sunscreen increases and more harm is done to the envionment. There are a lot of activities that require us outdoors, like marching band, and many do not know this problem. I hope that a solution is found soon so that we could continue to do what we love.
February 26, 2019 at 1:21 PM
Anonymous said…
I completely agree that the use of sunscreen around marine habitats poses a severe threat to the biodiversity of oceanic life. I think we have placed too much of an emphasis on the value of sunscreen without examining the problems associated with it. For example, our parents and society often stress the importance of applying sunscreen regularly. However, I think we all forget about the environmental implications without sunscreen. Therefore, it is increasingly critical that we begin adopting eco-friendly sunscreens and support these products. I believe we all must make an active effort to ensure the protection of our environment. Adopting eco-friendly sunscreen is an excellent way to do this.
February 26, 2019 at 2:14 PM
Anonymous said…
This is such an important topic to bring up because I had never thought about how sunscreen can affect the environment. I try to be conscious of my ecological impact in most aspects, but sunscreen was never one that occurred to me. Many people urge the importance of wearing sunscreen when exposed to UV rays for long periods of time, and rightly so. These rays can have dangerous effects and cause issues such as skin cancer that culminate over the years. This is a tough issue because it brings about an underlying question: should we be willing to give up our skin protection to save the coral reefs? There can be arguments for either side, but the most important step is to find a healthy balance between the two. Hopefully, we will be able to create more ocean-friendly alternatives to use in sunscreens moving forward because cutting out sunscreen altogether cannot be a viable option.
February 26, 2019 at 4:22 PM
Anonymous said…
I had no idea that something made to protect us could be so detrimental to the environment. I think it's great that Hawaii is banning sunscreens that ban these harmful chemicals, but what about other places around the world with fragile coral reefs? Coral reefs serve many purposes, but recently there have been a lot of negative stories surrounding their health. It would be a tradgedy to lose them. I'm now curious about other locations restricting sunscreens and what other cosmetics contain these harmful chemicals.
February 26, 2019 at 6:00 PM
Anonymous said…
Like many others, I did not realize the huge impact sunscreen has on the environment. I put on sunscreen for the benefit for myself, but I never realized that this protection could harm others. I realize that sunscreen is important for your skin, but the coral reefs are also important for the globe as a whole. I feel like it will be hard to abandon sunscreen because humans value our own skin over the coral reefs. We think this because we have a very limited knowledge of the coral reef, so damaging it is not a huge deal in our minds. However, I believe that we need to find a solution that will benefit both parties because each of the parties are important to humans.
February 26, 2019 at 8:15 PM
Caroline Tuggle said…
I did not realize that sunscreen was that harmful on the coral reefs . Sunscreen is something that many people cannot go without in order to protect themselves against the harmful rays of the sun . My mom always told me to let the sunscreen "soak in" before getting into the water, but no matter what some will rub off and disperse into the water around you . I wonder if we can create a kind of sunscreen that doesnt contain the chemicals that harm the coral reefs if that doesnt already exist... I feel like not that many people are aware of just how much sunscreen harms coral reeds and I think that we should bring attention to it in attempt to educate those who dont know.
February 28, 2019 at 9:13 AM
Anonymous said…
I think it is interesting how chemical sunscreen is expected to harm the environment, but mineral sunscreen which one would expect to cause lesser damage is not good for the environment either. I think one of the most simple ways to solve the problem would be to stop applying excess sunscreen and only use the amount necessary. This is the most straightforward solution but also extremely difficult to implement especially if people are not aware of the problem sunscreen causes in the oceans. They also should be made aware of how easily just deteriorating coral reefs could affect the entire ecosystem.
February 28, 2019 at 4:47 PM
Anonymous said…
It’s incredible how even the most innocuous practices, such as putting on sunscreen, could contribute to environmental degradation so much. In what has become a trend with all environmental legislation, governments must figure out how to strike a balance between human needs and health and the health of the environment. The dangerous chemicals in sunscreen that dissolve and bleach coral are also the ones that make sunscreen effective. A way the government can regulate these negative impacts while also protecting human health is they could invest money into new sunscreens or provide tips on how to protect coral reefs.
March 1, 2019 at 12:18 PM
Luke Farinelli said…
Wow! I never would've guessed this. All my life I've been scolded to put my sunscreen on and now this?! Luckily I don't think I've ever been in a place with a very large coral reef like Hawaii, but still this is very concerning. This is a true battle of human protection vs the environment and I'm very intrigued by Hawaii's decision. Good on them for taking this step, even if it means more sunburns for us.
March 2, 2019 at 4:31 PM
Anonymous said…
It is surprising that something so common would be a huge killer of the environment. Something as simple as sunscreen can cause lots of damage to the environment. Many people are not aware of this and I believe that making people aware of the dangers of this can drastically change the rate at which the coral reefs die.
March 3, 2019 at 12:05 PM
Anonymous said…
Im curious to know if all sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate were banned or only the popular brands. Are the creams that contain oxybenzone and octinoxate less effective than their counterpart or just more expensive to make? If they are just more expensive to make than the ban does not do too much harm to humans going to the beach but if oxybenzone and octinoxate make sunscreen more effective, then this increases humans chance of skin cancer (as your blog states). There has to be a viable solution to this sunscreen problem because sunscreen is very important and especially important for people with lighter skin in a hot climate.
-ADam Ghanem
March 3, 2019 at 5:23 PM
Anonymous said…
It’s crazy to imagine that even when we try to protect ourselves from the harmful effects of environmental factors, we ourselves are hurting other organisms. We hear doctors and our parents telling us to use sunscreen because of the harmful effects the sun’s rays can have on us, but no one ever really advocates for the protection of coral. This argument can go both ways. Sunscreen supporters may say humans benefit this world more than coral reefs do. Coral advocates may refute that and say people don’t understand the importance of corals in the ecosystem. In my opinion, both are almost equally important. A real solution to this problem wouldn’t be to completely ban sunscreens like Hawaii has but at the same time not allow the destruction of coral reefs by using sunscreen. Rather, a solution would be to find a healthy midpoint between the two. One that protects people from the UV rays of the sun but does not contain harmful substances that hurt the coral.
March 4, 2019 at 12:19 PM
Mallory Odom said…
I think its really unfortunate that there are so many common things we do in our lives that are actually so detrimental to our environment. I see in the comments that a lot of us, myself included, didn't realize how hurtful sunscreen is to coral reefs. It's really important for us to be aware of problems like these that way we can hopefully prevent further damage in the future since the world will be in our hands and we need to take care of it.
March 4, 2019 at 2:59 PM
Anonymous said…
I've never really considered the full implication of sunscreens and their negative effects. Your blog post sheds light on a topic that is often forgotten about; the runoff of sunscreens into the oceans is incredibly harmful for both marine life and for the environment in general. Besides sunscreen, the dumping of waste into water supplies is something that needs to be regulated, too. One way we could protect our health without dumping sunscreen chemicals into water is by using natural sunscreens that rely on natural occurring chemicals. Overall, I think your article is really important for every person who goes to the beach to learn about.
March 4, 2019 at 7:07 PM
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
March 4, 2019 at 7:17 PM
Anonymous said…
It is baffling to see that an object known for protecting us from the harmful effect of sun rays actually damages and hurts other organisms. No one cares to mention the damage of sunscreen to marine life and the environment, only the benefits it offers humans. We need to stop this runoff of sunscreen, protecting our health and the health of the organisms around us. Human health and the ecosystem health should be of equal importance, and we should always strive to do best for the environment.
March 4, 2019 at 7:26 PM
Anonymous said…
Here we see the issue arise between the desires of human beings and what is best for the environment. Everyone touts sunscreen as being the best way for humans to beat the heat but unfortunately no one seems to know of the negative impact that it can have on the marine life. Heck even I did not know, even though I am a self proclaimed APES student. But again this raises a question on what really can be done. We can not tell people to just stop visiting beaches but we also can not tell people to just suffer from potentially deadly skin disease. Thus we must take steps to making this better.
March 4, 2019 at 8:52 PM
Unknown said…
I think that people are unaware of this because most are concerned about their well-being. Obviously it is important to take care of your skin, but I also think that people should be aware of the consequences and work to creative an alternative and more eco friendly while being effective sunscreen.
-Hannah Lee
March 4, 2019 at 9:56 PM
Anonymous said…
The marine habitat destruction and loss is where the marine environment or the ecological set up is unable to support life due to degradation. This is a process that is contributed by various natural and human activities. Most countries have had the opportunity to stock marine animals and plants. Countries such as North and South Americas, South Africa, Brazil and continents such as Europe Asia and many others are bordering water masses. One irrefutable assertion is that marine lives are highly appreciated. The primary reason for this would be that they add the beauty of a country. Climate change is an important reason. Scientists explain that when there is higher concentration of carbon dioxide in the air, the water absorbs much of it. The water gets contaminated and the level of heat in the water rises beyond the expectations of life. When the ocean temperatures rise; there are other associated adverse impacts that are experienced in the aquatic environment.
March 5, 2019 at 12:24 AM
Anonymous said…
In this case most individuals are personally affected when it comes to sunscreen use, scientist say that sunscreen is nessecary to prevent up radiation damage but they also say that it has negative impacts to the environment, Due to human nature people will likely chose personal safety over environmental safety. The question that is now posed is which one do I chose between or how do I keep myself safe from UV radiation without damaging the environment.
March 5, 2019 at 11:21 AM
Anonymous said…
Typically, people focus on the personal effects of using sunscreen, because scientists recommend that sunscreen is used to prevent radiation damage. Resultuantly, people seem to disregard the detrimental environmental impact of sunscreen. I think people focus too much on personal safety, rather than the safety of the entire world, which is more imnportant in the long run.
March 5, 2019 at 11:36 AM
Anonymous said…
This was very interesting as it brought light to issue that doesn’t come across many peoples minds, similar to the other blog posts. Sunscreen is just viewed as a day too day product that everyone uses, nobody would ever think it would be harmful to the environment. I feel like at some point though, these issues can be considered nitpicking, For example, the killing of key species such as sharks brings more harm to Marine ecosystems than the pollution of sunscreens, I’m not denying this pollution is an isssue, I just feel like there is larger issues at hand,
March 5, 2019 at 8:34 PM
Anonymous said…
Woah... i never realized the impact that sunscreen can have on coral reefs. This is definitely something that not many people are aware of, and is therefore crucial for more to be aware of. A lot of us tend to focus on the personal effects of it (UV protection) and not its environmental impact. I think a good solution to this would be to develop a more eco friendly formula.
March 5, 2019 at 9:19 PM
Anonymous said…
I personally had no clue that something that people use so readily when they go out, or even go to beach, had such a big effect on the health of the environment. That said, I think it is important to make the general public aware of such a phenomenon to start, as I am sure most of the population also did not know of the adverse effects of sunscreen. The next step I think would be maybe to change the formula inside the sunscreen to maybe make it better and more sustainable for the environment.
March 6, 2019 at 6:43 AM
Anonymous said…
I had no idea that sunscreen had such a big impact on the environment. I think making the public more aware of the impacts will help them think more about the products they are using and how it affects the environment. People are focusing more on their personal health and safety and not the environment. They need to focus on their health, but also the environment. More eco friendly suncfeeens should be made and advertised.
March 7, 2019 at 11:07 AM
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