Research leads to the first nations in Palau

The research indicates 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," Prof. explains. Ariel Kushmaro, Head of the Environmental Biotechnology Lab in the Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology and Engineering.

Palau's Responsible Tourism Education Act of 2018, which takes effect in 2020, prohibits the use of environmental pollutants that threaten juvenile stages of many wildlife species, including corals, fish and microalgae. The banned substances contain sun protection factor (SPF) chemicals used in sunscreen lotions or fragrances that absorb ultraviolet sunlight. These include oxybenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor, and parabens. The parabens, triclosan and phenoxyethanol are antimicrobial preservatives also used in shampoos, moisturizers, liquid soaps, and hair conditioners.

Hawaii earlier this year. On May 4, the Hawaii legislature banned oxybenzone (BP3) beginning in 2021 in an attempt to prevent coral bleaching, by which corals expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white.

"We are pleased to see that governments are using scientific research conducted at Ben-Gurion University to protect the delicate coral reef systems and ocean wildlife that are already under significant stress from climate change," Prof. says. Kushmaro.

"We hope other countries take note of these findings and initiate the appropriate action." Teacher. Kushmaro holds the John A. Ungar Chair in Biotechnology and is a member of the Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev.

Marine biologists and environmentalists, including the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), say the banned substances can reduce the resilience of ecosystems to climate change and, by themselves, prevent the recovery of degrading wildlife and habitats. Providing damage to coral reefs, including coral bleaching, in the South Pacific, Caribbean, Australia, Israel, and elsewhere poses a threat to one-quarter of marine species, and threatens shorelines and vibrant tourism in affected areas.

Palau, a tiny archipelago of approximately 300 islands located 400 miles southeast of the Philippines, has been a pioneer in marine protection, introducing the world's first shark sanctuary in 2009. It is also known as one of the world's best diving destinations.

Ben-Gurion University Prof. Kushmaro is a contributor to the 2015 study "Effects of the Sunscreen UV Filter, Oxybenzone (Benzophenone-3), on Coral Planulae and Cultured Primary Cells and its Environmental Contamination in Hawaii and the US Virgin Islands," published in the Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology.

Explore further:
Palau shots sunscreen ban to save coral