Researchers at Haereticus Environmental Laboratory in Virginia exposed baby corals in a laboratory to different concentrations of BP-2, which is found in hundreds of personal-care products.
Increased BP-2 exposure caused increased rates of coral death, DNA damage, and bleaching, which is when corals turn white, are stressed, and more likely to die. BP-2 also has been linked to cancer and thyroid disruption in people.The chemical is used to protect bath salts, body fragrances, lotions, shampoos, soaps and laundry detergents from ultraviolet light, which make products lose their color. It is similar to oxybenzone, the active ingredient in many sunscreens, although it is not used in U.S. sunscreens. The levels of BP-2 used in the study—ranging from 24 parts per billion to 246 parts per million—are within what has been found in U.S. wastewater effluent. Once in the environment, BP-2 can quickly “kill juvenile corals at very low concentrations—parts per billion,” the authors wrote. “What’s worrying is that if this chemical harms young coral, we won’t get coral recruitment around the world,” said Craig Downs, a researcher at Haereticus Environmental Laboratory in Virginia who led the study. “This will create coral zombies—coral where’s there’s adults but not recruited young, so the reef will eventually go away.” MORE … More:
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