Sunscreen and the sea

hoon · #1 (**permalink**) 31st-January-2008, 09:39 AM

Common sunscreen ingredients awaken dormant viruses in the algae that keep corals alive, killing the algae and causing reefs to bleach, a new study says.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...een-coral.html

Who would have thought such a small thing could have such a big impact.

mellow_hendrix · #2 (**permalink**) 31st-January-2008, 11:22 AM

Jesus Christ, can't we do anything any more without fucking up the environment?

#3 (**permalink**) 31st-January-2008, 09:00 PM

I thought this has been known for a little while. When I went on vacation to a natural park in Mexico (where you could go swimming) about five years ago everyone was asked not to use their non-natural sunscreens for this very reason. There are natural sunscreens that have been on the market that work just as well as your average sunscreen (for most activities) that won't fuck up the environment and aren't too expensive.

forfi · #4 (**permalink**) 31st-January-2008, 11:51 PM

And you have to get out to take a pee.Unless your name is Ghandi,then you just recycle via a little tube attached to your willy and your upper lip.I guess ladies will have to make other arrangements.

Thais · #5 (**permalink**) 1st-February-2008, 02:14 PM

And what's more, chemical sunscreen lotions have been found to be of little use, and can even provoke skin cancer.

But it is not the only ghastly stuff floating around in the seas, compromising sea life.

nancyf · #6 (**permalink**) 12th-March-2008, 05:41 PM

Yes! It is true. Sunscreen lotions contain harmful chemicals which damage the water and the wildlife. The oil in sunscreens is VERY unnatural and causes damagae to all the sea life. Picture all the milltions of people that sub bathe every year and then go in the water.

altyfc · #7 (**permalink**) 14th-March-2008, 01:33 AM

So what would be natural sunscreens? Do any of the known brands produce them?

macgardener · #8 (**permalink**) 14th-March-2008, 08:28 AM

I've seen on travel shows that they ask you not to wear sunscreen when swimming with dolphins. It doesn't really surprise me that they've identified more problems. So what brands and what ingredients should we be looking for?

Seablu003 · #9 (**permalink**) 25th-May-2008, 04:33 PM

Not only does this mess up the reefs and all the life that depends on it, but also our oxygen supply because we get 70 percent of our oxygen from the ocean. Here is a great website to find sunscreens that are not toxic or any other cosmetic type product. I love this site because it gives ingredients and ratings of the toxins plus consumer ratings. I also should say this is just a site I use, I am not connected to it in any way. http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

forfismum · #10 (**permalink**) 25th-May-2008, 04:48 PM

As you can see from my photie,I have no use for cosmetics having being blessed from birth with an uncanny beauty.
However I do recall when I worked at a department store I was puzzled by the fact that the "Beauty Dept" was at the front entrance and I noticed that this was common to department stores.I questioned this as I was trying to see where profits were being made so as to maximise my input to the businness.It was all new to me having come from a background in heavy engineering.Anyway the answer form the MD was that girlies did not buy a new dress everyday but they did buy a new face and so these beauty counters made a big big profit.There was an enormous throughput of stock, way more than in any other section of the business. I can see where the problem for the oceans comes from as the volume of oils and ungents and concoctions used by the female race is mind boggling and it all gets washed down the drains at least once a day!!
Do they still use the smelly wax from whales tummies to fix perfume?