[Coral-List] New paper on toxicity of benzophenone-2 on coral planulae

[Vanessa Lovenburg]

I had been waiting awhile for this paper to come out! I work for Operation Wallacea for my field seasons and I am always telling all of the volunteers who come out to work in coral reef conservation research that they are undermining their efforts when they apply non-zinc based sunscreens…it’s very frustrating though because most of the remote field stations only have access to benzophenone containing sunscreens. I am probably responsible for a lot of pasty British kids’ future skin cancer problems…but maybe I saved a coral or two?! :-\

Thanks for sending this around…and well done!

Best wishes,
Vanessa
----------------------------------------------------
Vanessa Lovenburg
DPhil Candidate
Ocean Research and Conservation
Department of Zoology
University of Oxford
01865 281 329
Supervisors: 
Prof. Alex D. Rogers, Dr. Martin Speight 






On 22 Jan 2014, at 16:49, Cheryl Woodley - NOAA Federal <cheryl.woodley at noaa.gov> wrote:

> Hi Coral-List Members,
> 
> 
> I would like to draw your attention to a new publication on the toxicity of
> a UV blocking compound, Benzophenone-2 and its effects on Stylophora
> planulae and in a coral cell bioassay.
> 
> 
> The article is in the journal Ecotoxicology.  A link to the article can be
> found at  http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10646-013-1161-y
> 
> 
> Below is the abstract for the paper:
> 
> 
> Toxicological effects of the sunscreen UV filter, benzophenone-2, on
> planulae and in vitro cells of the coral, *Stylophora pistillata*
> 
> 
> C. A. Downs • Esti Kramarsky-Winter • John E. Fauth • Roee Segal •Omri
> Bronstein • Rina Jeger • Yona Lichtenfeld • Cheryl M. Woodley •
> 
> Paul Pennington • Ariel Kushmaro • Yossi Loya
> 
> Accepted: 7 December 2013
> 
> 
> Abstract Benzophenone-2 (BP-2) is an additive to personal-care products and
> commercial solutions that protects against the damaging effects of
> ultraviolet light. BP-2 is an ‘‘emerging contaminant of concern’’ that is
> often released as a pollutant through municipal and boat/ship wastewater
> discharges and landfill leachates, as well as through residential septic
> fields and unmanaged cesspits. AlthoughBP-2may be a contaminant on coral
> reefs, its environmental toxicity to reefs is unknown. This poses a
> potential management issue, since BP-2 is a known endocrine disruptor as
> well as a weak genotoxicant. We examined the effects of BP-2 on the larval form
> (planula) of the coral, Stylophora pistillata, as well as its toxicity to
> in vitro coral cells. BP-2 is a photo-toxicant; adverse effects are
> exacerbated in the light versus in darkness. Whether in darkness or light,
> BP-2 induced coral planulae to transformfromamotile planktonic state to a
> deformed, sessile condition. Planulae exhibited an increasing rate of
> coral bleaching in response to increasing concentrations of BP-2. BP-2 is a
> genotoxicant to corals, exhibiting a strong positive relationship between
> DNA-AP lesions and increasing BP-2 concentrations. BP-2 exposure in the
> light induced extensive necrosis in both the epidermis and gastrodermis. In
> contrast, BP-2 exposure in darkness induced autophagy and autophagic cell
> death. The LC50 of BP-2 in the light for an 8 and 24 h exposure was 120 and
> 165 parts per billion (ppb), respectively. The LC50s for BP-2 in darkness
> for the same time points were 144 and 548 ppb. Deformity EC20 levels (24
> h) were 246 parts per trillion in the light and 9.6 ppb in darkness.
> 
> 
> These are links to press responses to the paper:
> 
> 
> http://www.prunderground.com/sunscreen-chemical-in-soaps-cosmetics-body-fragrances-threaten-coral-reefs-says-haereticus/0031720/
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.jpost.com/Enviro-Tech/Israeli-American-researchers-identify-coral-reef-toxin-in-hundreds-of-beauty-products-338449
> 
> -- 
> Cheryl M. Woodley, Ph.D.
> Coral Health and Disease Program
> 
> DOC/NOAA/NOS/NCCOS
> Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research
> Hollings Marine Laboratory
> 331 Fort Johnson Rd
> Charleston, SC 29412
> 843.762.8862 Phone
> 843.762.8737 Fax
> cheryl.woodley at noaa.gov
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