Sunscreen Threatens Sea Creatures, Study Says
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Sabtu, 23 Agustus 2014 11:02 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Sunscreen has so far been protecting human from the sun’s UV rays that, unfortunately, it can also cause cancer. However, a new study claimed that the lotion ingredients washed off from the skin into the sea water is also toxic enough to phytoplankton and other tiny ocean creatures.
According to the scientists from the Universities of the Balearic Islands and Rio San Pedro, Spain, certain chemical substances contained in the sunscreen namely Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles will react to ultraviolet light from the sun and form new compounds, such as hydrogen peroxide.
High amount of hydrogen peroxide could harm phytoplankton and thus harming other ocean creatures that eat the phytoplankton including shrimp and whale.
To investigate the impact that beachgoers could be having on the environment, they went to Majorca’s Palmira beach on the Mediterranean.
“Based on lab tests, seawater sampling and tourism data, the researchers concluded that titanium dioxide from sunscreen was largely responsible for a dramatic summertime spike in hydrogen peroxide levels in coastal waters - with potentially dangerous consequences for aquatic life,” Daily Mail wrote on Thursday.
The research was published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.
RINDU P. HESTYA | DAILY MAIL