Coral reefs provide divers and snorkelers with a colorful tour of the undersea world. But those visitors leave behind dangerous sunscreen chemicals - about 6,000 tons a year – that wash through U.S. reefs.
Some sunscreens can do irreparable damage to coral reefs – those important but endangered ecosystems that provide natural protection for coastlines.
Supported in part by NSF, researchers at Stanford university are working to understand sunscreen formulations that can be safe -- for both humans and corals.
For some time, scientists have known oxybenzone -- an organic compound found in many sunscreens – can be harmful to corals -- but they have not understood why. This new research provides surprising insight.
