The study, conducted by the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Marche in Ancona, involved experiments carried out from 2003 to 2007 in the Pacific's Celebes Sea, the Caribbean, the Andaman Sea and the Red Sea.
The eight-strong research team established that, 'because sunscreens are lipophilic, their UV filters can bioaccumulate in aquatic animals'; that some of the UV absorbers and preservatives in sunscreens 'have estrogenic activity'; that 'several sunscreen agents may undergo photodegradation', creating 'toxic by-products'; and that agents within sunscreens 'have an impact on marine bacterioplankton'.
Given that an estimated '10,000 tons of UV filters are made annually for the global market', that '10 per cent of sunscreens produced are used in tropical areas with coral reefs', and that 'about 25 per cent of the sunscreen ingredients applied to skin are released in the water over the course of a 20-minute submersion', it was judged that 'up to 10 per cent of the world's coral reefs would be threatened by sunscreen-induced coral bleaching'.
The team's report, Sunscreens Cause Coral Bleaching by Promoting Viral Infections, did not spell out exactly how the cleansing effect of currents dialled into the equations.
But it stated that 'chemical compounds contained in sunscreens and other personal care products have been demonstrated to reach detectable levels in both fresh and seawater systems'; and that 'the impact of sunscreens would be expected to be crucial in atolls and coastal reefs with low water renewal and strong tourist vocation'.
The use of sunscreens has already been banned, said the report, at some popular marine tourism destinations, for example 'in marine eco-parks in Mexico, and in some semi-enclosed transitional systems'.
Related link
The report (English)
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