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Oxybenzone causes coral bleaching, say researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Israeli warning leads Hawaii to ban sunscreen ingredient



Israeli warning leads Hawaii to ban sunscreen ingredient On May 4, the Hawaii state legislature passed a ban on sunscreen ingredient oxybenzone (BP3) after a team of researchers from Israel and the United States provided significant evidence that BP3 has caused coral bleaching at sites in Hawaii as well as in Eilat and the Caribbean. Under the new legislation, which takes effect in 2021 once signed by Governor Dave Ige, sunscreens containing this chemical will be banned since only a drop of the substance can contribute to coral bleaching.
The European Union attempted a similar ban and may now gain traction since the Hawaii bill passed. BP-3 is used in more than 3,500 personal-care products sold around the world to protect against the damaging effects of ultraviolet light. The Israeli-American findings, originally published in October 2015 in the Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology and reported by ISRAEL21c, indicate that oxybenzone coming from swimmers’ skin, municipal sewage discharge and coastal septic systems pollutes coral reefs. “We found that oxybenzone caused gross morphological deformities, DNA damage and endocrine disruption, which causes the coral to close up and die,” explained Prof. Ariel Kushmaro of the Environmental Biotechnology Lab in Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering. “We are pleased to see our research will have a measurable impact on saving shrinking coral reef communities under siege from chemicals, waste runoff and climate change,” Kushmaro added. As much as 14,000 tons of sunscreen lotion are emitted into coral reef areas annually, much of which contains between one and 10 percent oxybenzone. The authors estimate that this year at least 10 percent of global reefs are at risk of high exposure, based on reef distribution in coastal tourist areas. -- More...

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ISRAEL21c -- Bio and Archives

ISRAEL21c was founded in 2001, in the wake of the Second Intifada, to broaden public understanding of Israel beyond typical portrayals in the mainstream media.

The organization’s founders – Israeli-American technology executives – understood the great power of the Internet and developed a first-of-its kind online product with global appeal and reach.


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