Beach Trading Blog

This just in from National Geographic News: Apparently all the years of all of us going on vacations, slathering on sunscreen and snorkeling around the coral reefs of the world is taking it’s toll and killing coral reefs worldwide.

The study finds that some of the chemicals commonly found in most sunscreens activate a dormant virus in the coral. The chemicals cause the viruses to replicate until their coral hosts explode, spilling viruses into the surrounding seawater, where they can infect neighboring coral communities.

The offending chemicals found in popular sunscreens were: paraben, cinnamate, benzophenone, and a camphor derivative.

Here’s what you can do to help stop the killing of coral reefs:

• Use sunscreens with physical filters, which reflect instead of absorb ultraviolet radiation, such as Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide.
• Use ‘eco-friendly’ chemical sunscreens.
• Wear a rash guard shirt. Our rash guards provide SPF 150+ protection without the use of any chemicals.

To read the entire National Geographic story click here.