14,000 tons of sunscreen end up in the oceans around the world every year. Particularly affected: Hawaii with its around nine million visitors a year. Two chemicals in particular, which are contained in many products, are said to damage coral reefs. Their names: octinoxate and oxybenzone. dr Greg Asner is a biologist at Stanford University in California. He has observed the coral reefs off Hawaii for the past 25 years. He tells CBS television:
“We can distinguish between corals that died a couple of years ago, they’re decomposing. And then you see the corals that are still standing up in the water but are actually already dead. They’re not bleaching anymore, they’re ghost corals.”
Many coral reefs have died around Hawaii. However, the reefs help maintain the biological balance in the sea. They provide shelter and spawning opportunities for many species of fish. One reason for the extinction is the warming of our seas – say scientists. Another: our sunscreen. The biologist Dr. Robert Richmond studied the effects of the chemical oxybenzone on corals.
Human health is also affected
“First they don’t reproduce anymore. Then they die. The doses that we’re currently finding in the water have a biological impact on the plants.”
In May, Hawaii passed a sunscreen ban. However, it should not come into force until January 1, 2021. Anyone flying to Hawaii will receive a small sachet of “reef-safe” sunscreen from Hawaiian Airlines. But if the chemical oxybenzone is harmful to corals, is it also harmful to humans? Toxicologist Joe Dinardo investigated exactly this question. His answer:
“We have studied 150 scientific studies on octinoxate and oxybenzone. In addition to environmental influences, they also have an impact on our health, on our hormone balance and can be responsible for triggering cancer.”
