[Coral-List] effect of sunscreen on corals

[Steve Mussman]

Dear Doug & Mike,

Thanks for bringing attention to this multifaceted issue! 

There sure has been a lot of attention brought on to the the plight of coral reefs as a result, but perhaps it needs to be fine-tuned. As Mike says, it would probably be best to simply avoid sunscreens containing oxybenzone. So what’s the rub? The problem as I see it is context. The way the issue has been portrayed in the media can give people the impression that eliminating harmful sunscreens will, in and of itself, bring health and vitality back to coral reefs. For example, the scuba diving industry has enthusiastically embraced the call for awareness of this issue taking pains to describe the harm that can be done. The word is getting out and the message is clearly noted, so what’s the problem? I think the scientific community would agree that it would be more helpful and constructive if the diving industry (as well as the community of nations and states) would apply at least an equal dose of enthusiasm to confronting the other, dare I say, more significant stressors on the block like climate change, over-fishing and land-based pollutants.     

Regards,
Steve 
 

Sent from my iPad

> On Feb 5, 2019, at 1:49 PM, Risk, Michael via Coral-List <coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov> wrote:
> 
> Hi Doug.
> 
> I find this screed by Terry to be deeply disappointing. Not only is it scientifically misleading, it epitomizes an attitude all too common among reef biologists, namely: "the most important stress on coral reefs is the one on which I am personally working." This attitude prompted my by-now ancient paper, Paradise Lost-not only has little changed since then, it seems things are even worse. 
> 
> Now, to the science.
> 
> I urge you all to read one of the key papers, Downs et al 2016 Arch Env Contam Toxic 70: 265. It is simply not true that authors bathed their corals in unrealistically high concentrations of oxybenzone, nor is it true they lack real-world data. They report high concentrations of oxybenzone in VI waters, along with zero coral recruitment. This stuff is death to coral larvae, at unbelievably low concentrations.
> 
> We need here to beware of some sort of false dichotomy. No one is saying, forego sunscreens. American readers will be surprised (or not) to learn that Europe banned the use of the known carcinogen oxybenzone in sunscreens, but American companies were allowed to get away with it. The research mentioned above has come under heavy criticism from the chemical industry in the US, quelle surprise. The answer is quite simple: avoid sunscreens that contain oxybenzone.
> 
> Criticisms of the research seem based not so much on genuine scientific issues as some sort of zero-sum game attitude, that attention to sunscreen will detract from whatever flavour of the month turns your particular crank. This is a small thing we can all do for reefs whilst still working on the big things.
> 
> Full disclosure: Craig Downs is a friend of mine, and in my opinion a brilliant scientist.
> 
> Mike
> ________________________________________
> From: Coral-List [coral-list-bounces at coral.aoml.noaa.gov] on behalf of Douglas Fenner via Coral-List [coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov]
> Sent: February 5, 2019 1:18 AM
> To: coral list
> Subject: [Coral-List] effect of sunscreen on corals
> 
> There's insufficient evidence your sunscreen harms coral reefs.
> 
> By Terry Hughes
> 
> https://theconversation.com/theres-insufficient-evidence-your-sunscreen-harms-coral-reefs-109567
> 
> Open-access.
> 
> Cheers,  Doug
> 
> --
> Douglas Fenner
> Ocean Associates, Inc. Contractor
> NOAA Fisheries Service
> Pacific Islands Regional Office
> Honolulu
> and:
> Consultant
> PO Box 7390
> Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799  USA
> 
> How to win public support for a global carbon tax
> 
> https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00124-x
> 
> Global warming will happen faster than we think.
> 
> https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07586-5
> 
> Nations falling short of emissions cuts set by Paris climate pact, analysis
> finds
> 
> http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/nations-falling-short-emissions-cuts-set-paris-climate-pact-analysis-finds?utm_campaign=news_daily_2018-11-28&et_rid=17045989&et_cid=2515903
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