A recent study has found that chemicals in sunscreens may be damaging vital seagrass ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceania has been particularly impacted by the chemicals, the study, which was published in the “Marine Pollution Bulletin,” claims.
UV filters and other chemicals found in sunscreen lotions, such as oxybenzone, avobenzone 4-methyl, and methyl parabens, have also been discovered in the stems of the seagrass, which is commonly seen near Mallorca, Spain and is native to the Mediterranean Sea.
Chemicals from sunscreen found in seagrasses in Mediterranean Sea
As the samples from the plants were taken near Mallorca, a major tourist destination, scientists believe that the UV filters found in the plant likely come from the sunscreen used by swimmers.
“Since the Mediterranean Sea is shallow, small and very enclosed, concentrations of UV-absorbing chemicals can reach high [levels],” Dr Silvia Díaz Cruz, co-author of the study, said to The Guardian.