Skincare is a part of our daily routine. Among the products available for skin care, sunscreen is essential. It protects us from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays and prevents long-term skin damage. But hidden behind this layer of self-protection lies an environmental cost.
When we apply sunscreen to avoid sunburn or premature wrinkles caused by the sun's UV rays, these chemical ingredients do not just stay confined to our skin.
Every time we go swimming in the sea or river, shower in our own bathrooms, or bathe in the ocean, these ingredients are gradually washed off and mixed into the waters of rivers, lakes, and especially the sea.
This is where the cause for concern and anxiety lies. Because, gradually, these chemicals in sunscreen are harming marine life, particularly coral reefs, which are vital to the entire ocean ecosystem.
For a country like Bangladesh, this is not merely an environmental issue; it's a question of sheer survival. In our river-nurtured country, coasts, rivers, and wetlands are not just habitats for fish and birds. Millions of people depend on them for their livelihoods.
When these water bodies become polluted, the effects spread far and wide. Simultaneously, fishermen lose their fish catch, child malnutrition increases, and public health risks rise.
Current studies
Research has shown that ingredients commonly found in sunscreens, Oxybenzone and Octinoxate, are present and essentially damage coral DNA, disrupt hormonal balance, reduce reproductive capacity, and cause corals to bleach and die.
A joint study by Stanford University and the US National Science Foundation found that divers and snorkelers alone carry approximately 6,000 tons of sunscreen chemicals into the sea every year.
The interesting point is that the very chemicals in sunscreen that protect our skin from UV rays make corals more sensitive to the sun.
This damages the structure of coral reefs, disrupts the marine balance, and weakens the natural barriers protecting coastlines
Impact in Bangladesh
Even in Bangladesh, St Martin's Island is not beyond the threat of such damage. Currently, various effective steps are being taken to protect this island. Although diving facilities are available for tourists here too.
In the context of our country, no research has yet been conducted on the harmful effects of sunscreen, which is a demand of the time. This silence does not mean safety; rather, it means we might be ignoring damage that has not yet been measured.
The global statistics on this situation are even more alarming. A study published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin found that UV filters and other harmful chemicals in sunscreen cause coral bleaching, deform fish, and reduce the reproductive capacity of aquatic life. Furthermore, another study revealed that an estimated 6,000 to 14,000 tons of UV filters enter coral reef areas annually.
One of the most common and harmful ingredients is Benzophenone, particularly its compound Benzophenone-3 (BP-3), which is still under research and considered a potential hormone disruptor by the European Chemicals Agency.
Beyond marine life
An even more worrying aspect is that these problems are not confined only to the sea. Since water bodies are interconnected with other ecosystems, these chemicals have even entered agriculture.
Used in irrigation, they reach farmers' fields, and then these pollutants travel from crops into the human body and back into the aquatic environment. This cyclical process is causing immense damage. A forecast suggests that the global sunscreen market will reach $13.6 billion by 2028.
One study found that just 1,000 beachgoers can release up to 35 kg of harmful chemicals into the sea in a single day. Even advanced wastewater treatment technologies, like ozonation, cannot completely remove the toxicity of these chemicals.
And research also proves this is not just a coastal problem. This pollution has even been found in remote, supposedly 'pristine' environments like Antarctica. It's evident how extensive the scale of the disaster is. Researchers from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory have warned that the full impact of these chemicals is still unknown. Some ingredients, like Benzophenone-3, have already been found in human urine and mothers' breast milk.
What’s next?
Consumers use nano-sized or uncoated particles that can generate toxic byproducts when exposed to sunlight or chlorinated water. A groundbreaking study by the University of Stirling raises even deeper concerns by introducing the concept of co-pollution, revealing how plastics in the sea can act as carriers for toxic sunscreen chemicals.
In this context, the question arises: What can we do? Researchers themselves have shown the way. It can start by choosing sunscreens made with environmentally friendly, biodegradable ingredients.
Moreover, it's time for consumers to be vigilant. Ideal consumers should carefully read ingredient lists and avoid sunscreens containing Oxybenzone, Octinoxate, Benzophenone, OD-PABA, and nano or uncoated metals like Zinc or Titanium Dioxide.
Coral reefs are called the rainforests of the sea, not just for their biodiversity, but because they also protect coastal areas. They play a crucial role in providing fish habitats and sustaining tourism. But now, alongside climate change, overfishing, and plastic waste, they are also being attacked by the products we use in the name of protecting our skin -- perhaps unknowingly for many of us.
In Bangladesh’s context, coastal and marine pollution here is not a distant future threat; it is an existing reality. The monstrous existing problems like coloured waste from the textile industry, toxic chemicals from shipbreaking, mountains of plastic waste, and untreated sewage are already destroying the country's water bodies.
A 2021 study found that 130 million cubic meters of industrial waste are dumped into the environment annually, polluting about 20% of freshwater sources. The shipbreaking industry alone releases about 22.5 tons of toxic PCBs each year, and approximately 3,000 tons of plastic waste are dumped into the sea daily. Amidst all this, the draft Marine Environment Conservation Act, prepared in 2004, has still not been enacted into law.
Although Bangladesh has signed several international environmental conventions, the country needs a robust, locally relevant marine pollution prevention law. Furthermore, as a signatory aiming to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Bangladesh should commit to achieving SDG 14.1 which aims to reduce marine pollution.
Laws and regulations
In formulating laws, legislation must be designed to block products and services harmful to water bodies at the production stage itself. Subsequently, regulations must be implemented to control them during marketing and use, and the power to enforce these controls must be effectively granted through this law. And most importantly, research must be conducted.
The final point is this: Our skin and the Earth's skin -- which are essentially the seas, rivers, and coral reefs; are not separate things. Destroying one while trying to protect the other is not the right path. Everything must be preserved together. And this is only possible if we choose a future where safety and sustainability go hand in hand.
Nafew Sajed Joy is a freelance contributor and postgraduate student of Dhaka University.
