10th May 2022 (7 Topics)
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Corals turn sunscreen into toxins
Context
A new study discovered that when corals and sea anemones ingest oxybenzone, their cells convert it into phototoxins, which are innocuous in the dark but harmful in the day.
About
- The biologists studied sea anemones as a model for corals.
- The study seeks to figure out how sunscreen discomfort reefs so that we may better understand whether sunscreen components are truly "coral-safe."
- It is quite difficult to undertake tests with corals in lab settings, hence anemones are usually much better for lab-based investigations.
- The study found that once corals and sea anemones ingest oxybenzone, their cells convert it into phototoxins, which are innocuous in the dark but harmful in the sunshine.
Sunscreen:
- Sunlight consists of several distinct wavelengths of light.
- Longer wavelengths, such as visible light, are often harmless.
- However, light with shorter wavelengths, such as UV light, can penetrate the skin's surface and harm DNA and cells.
- Sunscreens, including oxybenzone, function by absorbing the majority of UV radiation and turning it into heat.
- Oxybenzone is a popular component in sunscreens.
Oxybenzone:
- Anemones had substituted sugar for a particular hydrogen atom on an alcohol group in the molecular structure of oxybenzone.
- Plants and animals frequently replace the hydrogen atoms on alcohol groups via sugars to make compounds less poisonous and more water soluble, allowing them to be excreted easily.
- However, removing this alcohol group from oxybenzone renders it ineffective as a sunscreen.
- Instead, it retains the energy it takes from UV radiation and initiates a cascade of fast chemical processes that harm cells.
- Rather than converting the sunscreen into an innocuous, easily excreted chemical, the anemones transform oxybenzone into a strong, sunlight-activated poison.
Sea Anemone:
- Members of the sea anemone genus are often thought of as plants due to their flower-like appearance, but this underwater invertebrate is, in fact, an animal.
- As a result, they require a nutritious diet to thrive.
- Most sea anemones are carnivorous and dependent on a range of proteins for survival and growth.
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