Hi everyone, last week as I was writing about microplastics, it occurred to me that it is hard for consumers to be concerned about a pollution problem that they are unable to directly connect to.
This got me thinking, how could I get us to care more?
This week, instead of describing the context and effects of pollution as I normally do, I have decided to explain ocean pollution of the beauty industry through an example that is highly relatable to all of us — sunscreen! I chose this product as it is one that is commonly used across generations and by people of all backgrounds. It is rather common knowledge that exposure to UltraViolet rays can result in aging and skin damage. Therefore, it is of no surprise that the sun care industry alone is expected to grow above $24 billion in the next few years.
So, what is it about sunscreens?
Whether it is from regular beach go-ers or our personal bathrooms, large amounts of sunscreens find their ways to leach into oceans.
Many sunscreens contain chemicals that are harmful for aquatic environments such as benzophenone and sodium laureth sulfate. However, the most notorious chemical of them all is known as oxybenzone, which is the main culprit causing massive destruction of coral reefs every year.
(Source: https://www.reefrepair.com/education/science/are-sun-creams-killing-coral-reefs/attachment/healthy-coral-vs-bleached-coral-effects-of-suncream-with-oxybenzone/)
According to Forbes, 14,000 tonnes of sunscreen is collected annual amongst our coral reefs. This number is alarming as oxybenzone has been studied intensively and described to cause bleaching of coral fragments and coral cells from various species of hard corals (Wood, 2018). The reason why corals ‘lose their colour’ or bleach is due to the death of symbiotic zooxanthellae planktons. The oxybenzone in our sunscreens causes latent infections for these planktons, killing them and causing their symbiotic partners (the coral reefs) to die alongside.
In addition, the oxybenzone also results in damage to the reproductive success of these coral reefs, making it difficult for them to repopulate again. With global warming, warming temperatures of the oceans has also caused these effects to be amplified (ibid.)
Downs et al. (2022) notes that many of our sunscreen lotions contain this very chemical and suggests that at least 10% of global reefs and 40% of coastal reefs are at risk of exposure to oxybenzone. For a thorough overview of concentrations of oxybenzone found globally, check out the tables by Wood (2018) below.
The next time you head to the beach……
It really shocks me how a seemingly harmless and essential sun care product can possibly cause such detrimental impacts for our environment! Writing this post has been rather eye opening for me. While I have heard of the potential impacts caused by sunscreen, I have always underestimated how that little blob I put on myself can impact anything. However, as we have seen from this post, it is evident that these products build up and result in rather irreversible damage for our precious coral reef systems.
The next time you head to the beach, it is time to rethink putting on that sunscreen or perhaps look for alternatives that are not just healthier for you, but for our marine life as well.
In the meantime, I think I will hold off the sunscreen for now,
Hui Jie
References
Baker, J. (2021, February 4). Hey Beauty, It’s Time To Lift The Lid On Ingredients And Impact. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessibaker/2021/02/04/hey-beauty-its-time-to-lift-the-lid-on-ingredients-and-impact/?sh=79e7fe2d48b7.
Downs, C. A., Cruz, O. T., & Remengesau Jr, T. E. (2022). Sunscreen pollution and tourism governance: Science and innovation are necessary for biodiversity conservation and sustainable tourism. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems.
Rosen, E., & Zachos, E. (2019, May 21). What sunscreens are best for you—and the planet?. National Geographic. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/sunscreen-destroying-coral-reefs-alternatives-travel-spd.
Statistica Research Department. (2022, February 16). Sun Care Industry - Statistics & Facts. Statistica. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/topics/1990/sun-care-industry/#topicHeader__wrapper.
Wood, E. (2018). Impacts of sunscreens on coral reefs. International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), 20.
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