{"id":25944,"date":"2021-03-04T10:26:26","date_gmt":"2021-03-04T09:26:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.coralguardian.org\/limpact-des-filtres-uv-organiques-des-cremes-solaires-sur-les-recifs\/"},"modified":"2021-03-17T12:54:05","modified_gmt":"2021-03-17T11:54:05","slug":"impact-organic-uv-filters-sunscreen-on-coral-reefs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coralguardian.org\/en\/impact-organic-uv-filters-sunscreen-on-coral-reefs\/","title":{"rendered":"The impact of organic UV filters in sunscreens on coral reefs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sunscreens<\/b> contain many components<\/b>, including various UV filters that <\/span>can be organic (chemical) or inorganic<\/b> (mineral)<\/strong>. Scientists are becoming increasingly interested in their effects on marine life, once these substances leave the skin and <\/span>end up in seawater<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Organic or chemical <\/span>UV filters are derived from petrochemicals<\/b>. Among those that have been studied by researchers to date are: oxybenzone (BP-3), octocrylene (OC), ethylhexyl salicylate (ES), homosalate (HMS), octisalate (OS), ODPADA, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (octinoxate or EHMC), and other benzophenone type compounds (BP-1, BP-4, BP-8).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Many of <\/span>these compounds accumulate in coral tissue<\/b>. In laboratory experiments, this bioaccumulation has been shown to be greater when exposed to the whole sunscreen compared to the component alone (He et al, 2019).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Oxybenzone<\/b> (BP-3) and <\/span>octocrylene<\/b> (OC) have been the subject of several recent studies.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In 2019, Wijgerde et al. tested <\/span>the effect of oxybenzone and temperature increase on two species of hard corals <\/b>(<\/span>Acropora tenuis<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Stylophora pistillata<\/span><\/i>).<\/span><\/p>\n

It appears that <\/span>exposure to oxybenzone, combined with heat stress, accelerates the mortality of the coral colonies tested<\/b>. A reduction in the photosynthetic yield of the associated microalgae and a disturbance of the microbiome of one of the tested species was observed (alteration of the abundance of several bacterial families). In addition, the concentration of oxybenzone tested (~ 0.06 \u03bcg\/L) is relevant to that measured in situ in Bonaire in 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Oxybenzone is photo-toxic, i.e. <\/span>the undesirable effects are exacerbated by light<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the Downs study in 2016, exposure to oxybenzone induced <\/span>ossification of the planulae<\/b> (mobile larvae of corals, anemones and other cnidarians, resulting from sexual reproduction) of the test species (Stylophora pistillata), enclosing the entire planula in its own skeleton. This compound is a skeletal endocrine disruptor, so <\/span>it unbalances the regulation of skeletal production<\/b>. The concentration of oxybenzone inducing a negative effect on these planulae and the toxicity induced on the coral cells of 7 other coral species tested, are consistent with those measured at sites frequented by bathers in Hawaii and the US Virgin Islands.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Oxybenzone toxicity was also shown in another hard coral species<\/b> (<\/span>Pocillopora damicornis<\/span><\/i>) where a stress response was observed after exposure to a concentration of 2mg\/L (Stien et al, 2020). This high concentration was also measured in the field.<\/span><\/p>\n

These studies have shown that <\/span>sensitivity to oxybenzone varies between coral species<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Researcher Stien has also tested <\/span>the effect of octocrylene (OC) on the scleractinian <\/b>Pocillopora damicornis<\/i><\/b> on several occasions: a negative impact appears as soon as the concentration reaches 50 \u03bcg\/L. OC is thought to cause mitochondrial dysfunction (the mitochondrion is an organelle of cells in charge of energy production). <\/span>This component appears more toxic than oxybenzone.<\/b><\/p>\n

In his 2020 study, he showed that ethylhexyl salicylate (ES) also causes a stress response from 50 \u03bcg\/L, which would also make this compound more toxic than oxybenzone.<\/span><\/p>\n

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As far as other organic UV filters are concerned, there is still very little data on their effects<\/b> or their concentration in situ. The latter show significant spatial and temporal variations (Tsui et al., 2014).<\/span><\/p>\n

However, <\/span>ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC) is thought to present a high risk of bleaching hard corals<\/b>. Some benzophenones such as BP-1 and BP-8 show higher toxicities than oxybenzone (BP-3). As in the studies by Downs et al (2014, 2016), some benzophenones could cause oxidative stress in corals or zooxanthellae, leading to bleaching (He et al, 2019).<\/span><\/p>\n

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In the laboratory, these compound exposure experiments are carried out on a relatively short time scale (from a few days to a few weeks). <\/span>It would be interesting to be able to test long-term effects.<\/b> As with the actual concentrations remaining in seawater surrounding coral reefs, <\/span>more research is needed to make an accurate statement on the effect of sunscreen use when swimming near coral reefs<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u270d\ufe0f Sol\u00e8ne Ollivier<\/span><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf8 Hannah Prewitt<\/p>\n

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For more information:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Downs C.A., 2016. Toxicopathological Effects of the Sunscreen UV Filter, Oxybenzone (Benzophenone-3), on Coral Planulae and Cultured Primary Cells and Its Environmental Contamination in Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands. <\/span>Arch Environ Contam Toxicol<\/span><\/i> 70 (2), pp. 265\u2013288. DOI: 10.1007\/s00244-015-0227-7<\/span><\/p>\n

He T. et al., 2019. Comparative toxicities of four benzophenone ultraviolet filters to two life stages of two coral species. <\/span>Science of the Total Environ<\/span><\/i>ment Feb 15;651(Pt<\/span> 2), pp. 2391-2399<\/span> DOI: <\/span>10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2018.10.148.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stien D. et al., 2018. Metabolomics reveal that octocrylene accumulates in Pocillopora damicornis tissues as fatty acid conjugates and triggers coral cell mitochondrial dysfunction. <\/span>Anal. Chem.<\/span><\/i>, 91 (1), pp. 990-995. DOI: 10.1021\/acs.analchem.8b04187<\/span><\/p>\n

Stien D. et al., 2020. A unique approach to monitor stress in coral exposed to emerging pollutants. <\/span>Scientific Reports<\/span><\/i> 10, 9601 | https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41598-020-66117-3<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tsui et al, 2014. Occurrence, distribution and ecological risk assessment of multiple classes of UV filters in surface waters from different countries. <\/span>Water Research <\/span><\/i>67 (15), 55-65.<\/span> https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.watres.2014.09.013<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wijgerde T. et al, 2019. Adding insult to injury: Effects of chronic oxybenzone exposure and elevated temperature on two reef-building corals. Science of The Total Environment 773, 139030. DOI: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1101\/2019.12.19.882332<\/span><\/p>\n

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