Sunscreen ingredient polluting coral reefs

摘要

A study published in the Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (doi: 10.1007/s00244-015-0227-7) has found that a chemical widely used in personal care products such as sunscreen poses an ecological threat to corals and coral reefs and threatens their existence. Oxybenzone ((2-hydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl)-phenylmethanone) (also known as BP-3, benzophenone-3) is found in more than 3500 sunscreen products worldwide, and pollutes coral reefs from swimmers wearing sunscreens and through wastewater discharges from municipal sewage outfalls and coastal septic systems.