Sunscreen Chemical in Soaps, Cosmetics, & Body Fragrances Threaten Coral Reefs, says Haereticus

Industry: Environment

A scientific study to be published shows that a chemical in soaps, cosmetics and body fragrances threatens coral reef conservation and may prohibit recovery of coral reef

Virginia, U.S.A. (PRUnderground) January 15th, 2014

A team of marine scientists from Virginia, Florida, Israel, and the U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration published a study demonstrating that a common UV absorber found in over 380 different product lines of soaps, laundry detergents, cosmetics, and body fragrances is highly toxic to corals. This chemical, benzophenone-2, commonly known as “BP-2”, is released into the environment through discharges from municipal, residential, and boat/ship waste-water and sewage. Once in the environment, BP-2 can quickly kill juvenile corals at very low concentrations – parts per billion. Furthermore, it can cause corals to bleach – a process where corals that are normally, pink, yellow, purple and brown turn white – often resulting in coral mortality. These researchers also discovered that BP-2 was potentially mutagenic to corals by causing damage to its DNA. BP-2 is similar to oxybenzone, the active ingredient found in many sunscreen lotions sold over the counter today.

What does this mean to coral reef conservation and how does this contribute to the staggering rate of coral reef degradation? One example is the devastation of coral reefs in the Caribbean and Florida Keys. Over 80% of coral reefs in the Caribbean have disappeared since the early 1960s. A vast majority of these reefs are coastal, near-shore reefs. According to the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, the top three causes of coral reef decline are pollution, abnormally high sea temperatures, and over-exploitation of coral reef resources.

• Benzophenone-2 has been used in personal-care products since the 1960s, the beginning of the “chemical pollution revolution.”

• BP-2 is not removed from most municipal wastewater treatment facilities, and for many islands in the Caribbean, as well as in the IndoPacific, this discharge is often released within 500 yards of near-shore coral reefs.

• Residential septic systems and cesspits can also be major contributors to releasing BP-2 onto near-shore coral reefs.

• Growing human population and activity in the Caribbean and IndoPacific (e.g., Hawaii, Maldives) also means increased waste-water pollution in the coral reef environment – suggesting that environmental pollution of BP-2 levels have increased over time.

• Increasing BP-2 pollution of the marine environment is a serious threat to coral reef restoration efforts and may be a significant factor in why there has been almost no recovery of coral reefs along many of these degraded coasts.

Dr. C.A. Downs, Executive Director of Haereticus Environmental Lab (HEL) who led the research stated that, “Pollution of coral reefs, as a major cause of coral reef degradation, has been intentionally ignored. The irony is that pollution is also the easiest factor to recognize and mitigate. Until we can address the problem of pollution, there is little hope in restoring vibrant communities of coral reefs. In the case of BP-2 pollution, there are a range of options that can be considered for reducing its impact to reefs – from working with manufacturers and innovating more environmentally sustainable products to educating consumers regarding product selection and product disposal.”

Feedback from the scientific community-

Joseph DiNardo, a toxicologist who spent 37 years developing and safety-testing skincare products for several large cosmetic and pharmaceutical corporations, after reading the results of this groundbreaking study stated, “We have overpopulated our world not just with people, we have overpopulated our world with toxic substances—toxic substances we know nothing about. We need to know about the impact these chemicals have on our environment, and unfortunately, we don’t.”

Dr. Michael Risk, a professor of coral reef biology and geology, professed that, “This is more bad news for coral reefs, more evidence of the pervasive and pressing impacts of land-based sources of pollution. The results show that something humans use to protect their skin or toiletries can reach the sea from wastewater discharges, and shut down coral reproduction. In affected areas, the shutdown of larval (juvenile coral) survival means that there soon will be only a few ancient corals staggering on: and when some accident or storm or yacht takes them out, there will be no recovery.”

The scientific article can be e-accessed at the following website: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10646-013-1161-y#

Downs CA, Kramarsky-Winter E, Fauth JE, Segal R, Bronstein O, Jeger R, Lichtenfeld Y, Woodley CM, Pennington P, Kushmaro A, Loya Y. Toxicological effects of the sunscreen UV filter, benzophenone-2, on planula and in vitro cells of the coral, Stylophora pistillata. Ecotoxicology. DOI 10.1007/s10646-013-1161-y

About Haereticus Environmental Laboratory – Haereticus Environmental Laboratory (HEL) is a nonprofit, scientific organization dedicated to increasing scientific, social and economic knowledge of environmental habitats in order to better conserve and restore threatened habitats, resources and ecosystems. Visit www.haereticus-lab.org to learn more about our work.

From: Robin Blackstone, ENN
Published December 16, 2013 11:12 AM

A federal district court has ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service violated the law by allowing fishing for depleted parrotfish and other algae-eating reef fish species without properly monitoring the fishery’s impacts on rare corals that depend on healthy fish populations. The decision came in response to an Endangered Species Act suit filed in January 2012 by Earthjustice on behalf of two conservation groups (CORALations and the Center for Biological Diversity), and Mary Adele Donnelly.  Local counsel for Earthjustice on this case was Miguel Sarriera, who has represented a number of groups battling for environmental protection throughout Puerto Rico.

The court determined the Fisheries Service must do a better job monitoring the effects of commercial fishing on elkhorn and staghorn coral in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. These coral species are protected by the Endangered Species Act and serve as essential habitat for fish and other marine species.  Parrotfish protect these corals by grazing on algae that otherwise would smother the reef; removing the fish allows the algae to dominate reef systems and deny corals the space needed to grow.

In his decision Senior Judge Salvador E. Casellas ruled that the Fisheries Service’s monitoring plan was invalid because, as a baseline matter, the agency didn’t even know how many parrotfish were present to begin with and in any event had not committed to monitoring the impacts of the fishery on the parrotfish themselves. Under these circumstances, the court concluded the Service had illegally failed to establish  an adequate  procedure for verifying whether its fishing plan was preventing excessive harm to  the threatened elkhorn and staghorn corals.

“In the Caribbean, we have two big industries, fishing and tourism. Healthy coral reefs support both industries, but they have been dying for decades. Local communities are working with fishermen to successfully restore their reefs; farming corals on nurseries and transplanting them to natural reef in small protected areas,” said Mary Ann Lucking, CORALations. “The ruling compels government to revisit the failures of the balanced fishery management approach in general versus an ecosystem based approach, like community designated marine protected areas.”

“We are concerned that NMFS continues to open new fisheries without safeguards for protected species,” said Mary Adele Donnelly. “The court has demanded the Fisheries Service looks before leaping into yet another ecological disaster.”

“We know that corals face increasing threats from climate change and disease. Keeping a healthy, diverse population of algae-eaters on the reef is crucial to keeping coral reefs healthy,” said Andrea Treece, of Earthjustice.

“The corals in the Caribbean are dying – anyone can see it. This decision means that there will be enough parrotfish around for a healthy coral reef that could then become home for even more precious reef wildlife,” said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Parrotfish eat algae that can otherwise smother coral habitat.  U.S. Caribbean reefs already suffer from excessive algae cover, a situation exacerbated by scooping out the grazing fish necessary to hold back algal growth.  This situation leads to what scientists call a “death spiral” in which the removal of algae-eaters like parrotfish leads to increased algae and decreased coral, which in turn results in fewer fish and other reef creatures.

Not so long ago, elkhorn and staghorn corals were the main reef-building coral species in the Caribbean.  Yet these species have declined by as much as 98-99 percent since the 1970s thanks to stressors including overfishing, disease, and climate change.  As the corals decline, so does quality habitat for fish and other creatures.

Contacts:

Mary Ann Lucking, CORALations, (787) 556-6234

Miguel Sarriera, (787) 630-8319

Marydele Donnelly, Sea Turtle Conservancy, (410) 750-1561

Andrea Treece, Earthjustice, (415) 217-2089

Miyoko Sakashita, Center for Biological Diversity, (415) 632-5308  

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CORALations is an award-winning coral reef conservation organization based on the island of Culebra, Puerto Rico.  CORALations’ conservation work includes partnering on the first successful staghorn coral farming and transplantation project in U.S. Caribbean waters.  CORALations comments on the sustainability of proposed development projects in the coastal zone, litigates coastal clean water issues, and comments on endangered species and fisheries legislation.  Visit us at www.coralations.org – or on facebook at CORALations Culebra.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 500,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.  Visit us at www.biologicaldiversity.org 

Earthjustice is the largest non-profit public interest environmental law organization in the world. Since our founding in 1973, we have been dedicated to protecting the magnificent places, natural resources, and wildlife of this earth, and to defending the right of all people to a healthy environment, through litigation and advocacy. Visit us at www.earthjustice.org