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.