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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Sunscreen and Coral Reef
ClearSunscreen and Coral Reef
This review examines how sunscreen chemicals, particularly UV filters, damage coral reef ecosystems when washed off swimmers into coastal waters. While focused on chemical contamination, it highlights the broader vulnerability of coral reefs to multiple human-derived pollutants including plastics.
Oxybenzone contamination from sunscreen pollution and its ecological threat to Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, U.S.A.
Researchers measured oxybenzone — a chemical in most sunscreens that is toxic to coral — in the water and sand of Hawaii's Hanauma Bay and found that heavy tourist traffic keeps concentrations dangerously high for coral reefs, with modeling showing the chemical can linger in the bay for up to 50 hours after a single release.
Investigating the Effects of UV Filters in Sunscreen on Human and Environmental Health
This review examines the potential health and environmental risks of UV filters used in sunscreens, covering both organic chemical filters and inorganic metal oxide alternatives marketed as reef-safe. Evidence suggests that metal oxide UV filters can form harmful intermediates in water and may also absorb through human skin, raising questions about whether these alternatives are truly safer.
UV-filter pollution: current concerns and future prospects.
This review examines how UV-filter chemicals from sunscreens and industrial products enter aquatic environments and what their ecological effects are. UV-filters are also used as additives in plastics, making their environmental release relevant to the broader chemical pollution associated with plastic waste.
Effects of the UV filter, oxybenzone, adsorbed to microplastics in the clam Scrobicularia plana
Scientists exposed the clam Scrobicularia plana to oxybenzone (a UV filter in sunscreens) adsorbed to microplastics and found greater bioaccumulation and oxidative damage than with oxybenzone alone, demonstrating that microplastics enhance the bioavailability of adsorbed organic contaminants.
Fine-scale geographic risk assessment of oxybenzone sunscreen pollution within Hanauma Bay using hydrodynamic characterization and modeling
A hydrodynamic model of Hanauma Bay in Hawaii revealed that water circulation patterns concentrate oxybenzone sunscreen pollution over sensitive coral reef areas for extended periods. High oxybenzone concentrations were found throughout the bay at levels threatening coral, fish, and algae populations.
Evaluation of Consumers' Awareness of the Impact of UV Filters on Marine Ecosystems
Not relevant to microplastics — this study surveys Polish consumers about their awareness of UV filter chemicals from sunscreens as a threat to marine ecosystems, finding generally low awareness of this specific issue.
Microplastics enhance the toxicity and phototoxicity of UV filter avobenzone on Daphnia magna
Polystyrene microplastics (200 nm) were found to enhance the toxicity and phototoxicity of the UV filter avobenzone to aquatic organisms, with the combination causing greater harm than either pollutant alone. The results raise regulatory concern about co-occurring microplastic and UV filter pollution in sunscreen-impacted coastal waters.
Microplastic as an invisible threat to the coral reefs: Sources, toxicity mechanisms, policy intervention, and the way forward
This review examines how microplastics threaten coral reefs by causing physical damage, chemical toxicity, and disruption to coral biology. Microplastics can block coral feeding, carry harmful chemicals, and promote disease-causing bacteria on coral surfaces. While focused on coral ecosystems, the findings matter for human health because healthy reefs support fisheries and coastal communities that millions of people depend on.
Evidence on the impacts of chemicals arising from human activity on tropical reef-building corals; a systematic map
This systematic review maps the evidence on how chemicals from human activity, including plastic-derived pollutants, affect tropical coral reefs. While focused on marine ecosystems rather than direct human health, the decline of coral reefs threatens the food security of millions of people who depend on reef fisheries for nutrition and livelihood.
Microplastics: impacts on corals and other reef organisms
This review examines the impacts of microplastics and nanoplastics on corals and reef organisms across all trophic levels. Researchers note that microplastics have been found in the water, sediments, and biota of every coral reef studied, but knowledge gaps remain for nanoplastic contamination due to detection limitations. The study highlights that few studies have examined how microplastic exposure interacts with other stressors like ocean acidification and rising temperatures, making comprehensive risk assessment difficult.
Microplastics: impacts on corals and other reef organisms
This study reviewed the growing body of evidence on how microplastics and nanoplastics affect corals and other reef organisms. Researchers found that these plastic particles can impair coral feeding, growth, and reproduction, and may worsen the effects of other stressors like ocean warming. The review highlights that plastic pollution represents an additional serious threat to already vulnerable reef ecosystems worldwide.
Adsorption of Sunscreen Compounds from Wastewater Using Commercial Activated Carbon: Detailed Kinetic and Thermodynamic Analyses
This paper is not directly about microplastics; it examines the removal of UV-filter sunscreen chemicals from wastewater using activated carbon, finding effective adsorption under various pH and concentration conditions, with relevance to aquatic pollution from personal care products.
The Invisible Threat: How Microplastics Endanger Corals
This review explains how microplastics harm coral reefs by causing physical damage, triggering immune responses, introducing toxic chemicals, and smothering coral polyps. Since coral reefs support a quarter of all marine species and protect coastlines, microplastic pollution represents a serious threat to these critical ecosystems.
Microplastics in Natural and Artificial Reefs
This review examines microplastic pollution in both natural and artificial reef ecosystems, summarizing how plastic particles accumulate in reef structures, affect coral and associated organisms, and interact with other stressors threatening reef health worldwide.
Research progress on the effects of microplastics on coral reef ecosystems
This review synthesized current knowledge on microplastic pollution in coral reef ecosystems, covering global distribution of reef-associated microplastics, ingestion by reef organisms, and impacts on coral health. Microplastics were found to impair coral feeding, disrupt zooxanthellae, transfer toxins to reef organisms, and potentially contribute to coral reef degradation.
UV filters in everyday cosmetic products, a comparative study
This study surveyed UV-filtering chemicals across 742 cosmetic products and found widespread presence in everyday personal care items. UV filters are increasingly detected as environmental and biological contaminants, reaching waterways through skin absorption and washing, where they can interact with microplastics and other pollutants.
Impacts of microplastics on reef-building corals: Disentangling the contribution of the chain scission products released by weathering
Researchers investigated how microplastics harm reef-building corals by separating the effects of physical contact from the chemical leachates released as plastics degrade. They found that while physical interaction with the particles caused immediate tissue damage, the chemical breakdown products from aged plastics created additional toxic effects. The study highlights that weathered microplastics pose a compound threat to coral health through both mechanical abrasion and chemical contamination.
Capsule Dosimeters for Ultraviolet Radiation Measurements on Coral Reefs and in Seawater
This study developed new chemical dosimeters for measuring ultraviolet radiation doses in coral reef and seawater environments. Understanding UV exposure in marine environments is relevant to microplastics research, as UV radiation accelerates the photodegradation of plastic into smaller microplastic particles.
The Effects of Overcrowding on Marine Life in Small Tourist Beaches
This study investigates the ecological impacts of overcrowded tourist beaches on marine life in small coastal areas, finding that physical disturbance of intertidal zones, accumulation of plastic waste and microplastics, and chemical pollution from sunscreens collectively degraded biodiversity and habitat quality. It calls for visitor capacity limits and improved waste management at coastal tourism sites.
Photodegradation Controls of Potential Toxicity of Secondary Sunscreen-Derived Microplastics and Associated Leachates
Researchers studied how sunlight breaks down microplastics from sunscreen products and whether this makes them more or less toxic. They found that sunlight aging caused chemical changes on the plastic surfaces and released harmful compounds into the water, increasing toxicity to aquatic organisms. This is relevant because sunscreen microplastics are commonly washed into oceans and lakes, where sun exposure could make them more dangerous over time.
A systematic review of microplastics in coral reef ecosystems: Abundance, distribution, toxicity, and future research directions
This systematic review examined 125 studies on microplastic pollution in coral reef ecosystems. Corals are ingesting microplastics, which can cause tissue damage, stress responses, and impaired growth. Since coral reefs support roughly 25% of all marine species and many fisheries that feed coastal communities, their contamination with microplastics has far-reaching consequences for ocean health and food security.
Impact of micro-and nanoplastic contamination on reef-building corals
Researchers exposed two tropical coral species to micro- and nanoplastics of varying polymer types and assessed bleaching, symbiont loss, and tissue damage. Both species showed stress responses including reduced photosynthetic efficiency and partial bleaching, with effects varying by plastic type and size, suggesting reef-building corals are vulnerable to plastic pollution.
What evidence exists on the impacts of chemicals arising from human activity on tropical reef-building corals? A systematic map protocol
Researchers proposed a systematic map of evidence on how human-made chemicals — including microplastics — affect tropical reef-building corals, which support some of Earth's most biodiverse ecosystems. By cataloging what combinations of chemicals and coral responses have been studied, the map will help identify research gaps and guide local conservation decisions that can reduce chemical stress even as global climate threats persist.