zerobar.org

Chemical compounds found in sun screen, well, block the sun. This sorta kills animals who generate food energy through photosynthesis. The coral situation is more complicated. The chemicals also happen to trigger a dormant virus within the algae to replicate until the cell bursts, dispersing more virus into the water column...

But you don't have to give up the beach over skin cancer just yet!  Mineral-based sun screens that promote the reflection of UV rays (types of sun protection mentioned below absorb UV rays) work great without jeopardizing the cornerstone of the marine environment.

To help is as easy as letting your friends know the use of even a small amount of sunscreen can cause death in corals within four days and has damaged at least 10% of reefs worldwide in about 30 years.  If you can tell just 10 people about the need to switch to zinc oxide-based sun screens, you have done the most important thing. Don't let them get fooled by greenwashed advertising. In the case of the coral, "bio" degradeable does not necessarily mean "eco" friendly, and 'SeaSafe' might not be safe for the sea. Organic chemical compounds damage the reef, too. Look for formulaes containing zinc oxide as the active ingredient, no titanium allowed! It's also better for you! Titanium reflects only 30% of the UV rays, absorbing the other 70%...on the surface of your skin. 

Please see zerobar.org campaign information at

 
Ingredients in commonly used sun-protection products bleach reefs by stimulating latent viruses in algae.

The biological integrity of about 60% of the world's coral reefs is under assault, and the percentage of threatened reefs is expected to continue rising. Coral bleaching, which indicates the death of colored symbiotic algae that provide nutrients to coral, is a visible sign of this damage.

New suspects in the bleaching process include four commonly used sunscreen ingredients that routinely wash off into water, according to a team of Italian researchers who published their study online January 3 in Environmental Health Perspectives (2008, DOI 10.1289/ehp.10966). The ingredients killed the algae within just 4 days at very low levels, at or below what would be observed with typical usage by swimmers worldwide. The team says this is the first evidence linking sunscreens to coral bleaching.The problematic ingredients included a paraben preservative and three types of UV filters—a cinnamate, a benzophenone, and a camphor derivative. The researchers conclude that these compounds likely kill algae by stimulating latent viruses that have been found in almost all classes of coral-inhabiting algae. The number of viruses in seawater surrounding coral samples exposed to the ingredients increased as much as 15-fold, and viruslike particles were found in and around the algae. All sunscreen brands, sun-protection factors, and concentrations tested bleached the coral.The researchers used field and laboratory analyses to evaluate more than half a dozen coral species from sites in the Red Sea, the Caribbean Sea, the Andaman Sea in the Indian Ocean, and the Celebes Sea in Indonesia. They calculate that approximately 10% of the world's coral reefs are potentially threatened by about 4000–6000 metric tons of sunscreen that annually wash off swimmers in these and other reef waters.

According to the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database (skindeep.ewg.org), the reef-damaging ingredients are also linked to cancer, allergic reactions, endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity and reproductive harm in humans.

Read about the scientific study here: http://www.ehponline.org/members/2008/10966/10966.html 

It's still beautiful but this scallop is surrounded by a number of species of dead and dying coral.

Learn about the chemicals in sunscreen

Find coral reef safe sun screen

http://www.cleanairgardening.com/sunscreenbaby.html

More on this topic:

Choose Biodegradable Sunscreen to Save Coral Reefs

Transexualizing Fish with Sunscreen (or) How About Some Soybeans With That Tan? http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/01/transexualizing_1.php 

National Geographic Magazine article
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080129-sunscreen-coral_2.html

Photographs courtesy of Maurice F., all rights reserved

Update on Sunday, November 22, 2009 by zerobar.org

Zuubar found his favorite sunblock!!!

 

Please go to zerobar.org/sunblockkills for full campaign info and more links. 

 

This is one of the most visited pages on our site and Zuubar is proud to bring the consumer easy ecological choices to make the ocean part of day to day life no matter where you live. It's great to see how many people come to learn about sunblock and we sincerely hope we are answering your burning questions. If we're not -- tell us what you need; we'll get it for you!! Just email Zuubar -- zuubar at zerobar dot org

and please, Keep on telling your peeps how easy it is to make a significant contribution to ocean conservation simply by switching the brand of the sunscreen you use. The sun block products that are good for the ocean are also much healthier for you and your skin. Check out this article -- the top three manufacturers' brands are the least effective at blocking UV rays!! The shame.

From the Chicago Tribune, July 3rd, 2009 - Best and Worst Sunscreens