Sunscreen is killing coral

[karoo]

Wow,

Just read a very interesting article from National Geographic that details a study which shows that swimmers sunscreen is killing off coral.

Here is a link to the article:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...een-coral.html

[Mxhonda801]

Thats very sad to here.What are the options I wouldnt know

[Mindsgoneawol]

very interesting article .. wish the aussies success on the new sunscreen they are working on.

[Robwsup]

Like the article said, I think more research should be done. The ocean dilutes everything that dumps into it. Not that this doesn't still leave room for harm, but I would bet that thousands of chemicals that enter the ocean each year, at higher amounts, are more dangerous to coral.

Most, if not all third world countries have raw sewage dumping straight to the ocean. Sewage contains organic waste, paint, petroleum products of countless kinds, etc, etc.

[Loverotties]

Will need the shore towns to install skimmers in the water.All kidding aside that is awfull!

[crvz]

Originally Posted by Robwsup

...but I would bet that thousands of chemicals that enter the ocean each year, at higher amounts, are more dangerous to coral.

Couldnt agree more.

[chiapet]

Corals are sensitive to just about everything, not to mention temp, lighting, etc. Now add a foreign chemical to the mix? Odds are it is not going to be positive. How about the tanker ships out at sea. How do you think they clean the oil ships... I won't say this applies to all but they sometimes flush them.

The oceans have built-in protein skimmers (storms, waves, beaches). The result is that scum you sometimes see washed up on the beach.

And we are worried about sun screen? I say re-allocate the funds going to those scientists and put some heat on the ships dumping waste at sea. How about some enforcement heat on the factories dumping waste into our rivers and coastal areas. Executives consciously make decisions to do things that they know are terrible for the world they live in, all to raise their stock price and make an extra dollar. For another example look at India's coastal waters.

Don't take me wrong, every little bit helps. Focusing on sun screen seems like trying to build a sand castle with mud. Do you like the visual?

[Kanicky]

It makes me kind of sick to my stomach when I think about all of the waste that's poured into the ocean... How horrible.