--- title: Why Coral Reefs Are Dying: Sunscreen Killing Reefs description: A chemical in sunscreen may be contributing to the destruction of the coral reefs canonical: https://time.com/4080985/sunscreen-coral-reefs/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-21T12:41:58.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:57:25.166Z article:section: Science og:title: Why Coral Reefs Are Dying: Sunscreen Killing Reefs og:description: A chemical in sunscreen may be contributing to the destruction of the coral reefs og:url: https://time.com/4080985/sunscreen-coral-reefs/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26c88b0188f65b22/6988691d0a4a2285699c6a4e/coral-reef-suncreen.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2279 og:image:height: 1282 og:image:alt: Coral Reef Bleaching og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Coral Reefs Are Dying: Sunscreen Killing Reefs twitter:description: A chemical in sunscreen may be contributing to the destruction of the coral reefs twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26c88b0188f65b22/6988691d0a4a2285699c6a4e/coral-reef-suncreen.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Sunscreen May Be Destroying Coral Reefs > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=1db7aa89-5e28-4b48-9b04-21e7b89ec83c&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: TIME Explains: Hurricane Sandy and Climate Change [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Explains: Hurricane Sandy and Climate Change](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/X63BKwzy.m3u8) (2:29)  _Published 2012-11-01. TIME senior editor Bryan Walsh explains how climate change may have helped Hurricane Sandy become a superstorm_  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Oct 21, 2015 12:41 PM UTC  Corals are bleached on a seabed near Okinawa island on Aug. 26, 2013. Corals are bleached on a seabed near Okinawa island on Aug. 26, 2013. The Yomiuri Shimbun—AP  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Oct 21, 2015 12:41 PM UTC A chemical in sunscreen may be contributing to the destruction of the coral reefs as swimmers trying to protect their skin venture near reefs, according to new research. Researchers behind the [study](http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00244-015-0227-7), published in the journal _Archives of Environmental Contamination and_ Toxicology, found that the chemical oxybenzone has toxic effects on young coral that causes endocrine disruption, DNA damage and death of coral, among other the problems. Oxybenzone also exacerbates coral bleaching, a process by which coral reject symbiotic organisms and lose their color. Bleaching has been particularly prevalent in recent years due to rising sea temperatures. Currently, somewhere between [4,000 and 6,000 tons](http://cdhc.noaa.gov/%5Fdocs/Site%20Bulletin%5FSunscreen%5Ffinal.pdf) of sunscreen enters coral reef areas around the world each year, according to the U.S. National Park Service. That’s a lot of sunscreen considering how little it takes to cause toxic effects. According to the new research, toxicity occurs at a concentration of 62 parts per trillion. That’s the equivalent of a drop of water in an Olympic swimming pool, according to study author Omri Bronstein, a researcher at Tel Aviv University. “Current concentrations of oxybenzone in these coral reef areas pose a significant ecological threat,” Bronstein said in a press release. **Read More**: [Here’s Why You May Soon Be Using Sunscreen in the Dark](http://time.com/3715036/sunscreens-after-dark/) Researchers were careful to note that they are not advocating the swimmers stop wearing sunscreen, which protects against [skin cancer](http://time.com/3907272/skin-cancer-rates-melanoma/). Instead, they urged consumers to consider carefully what sunscreen they buy before swimming in the ocean. Sunscreens with titanium oxide or zinc oxide have not been found to harm reefs, according to the National Park Service. Additionally, swimmers can cover their upper body with long sleeve shirts or other apparel to reduce sunscreen use. Sunscreen is part of a long list of threats to coral reefs that includes pollution, overfishing and climate change. Beyond their impressive appearance, coral reefs play an important role for local communities and the world at large. For one, they contribute to local economies through tourism and sustain ecosystems where people can fish. One [estimate](http://coast.noaa.gov/exit.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fassets.panda.org%2Fdownloads%2Fcesardegradationreport100203.pdf) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration put the economic contribution of coral reefs around the world at $30 billion each year. Reefs also protect the global environment by serving as [carbon sinks](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/092181819190117F), absorbing carbon dioxide that would otherwise contribute to global warming. ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] So what does climate change have to do with [00:04] Hurricane Sandy? Here's what you need to know. [00:06] [ MUSIC ] [00:09] A [00:12] lot of people have been wondering what impact [00:14] climate change may have had in terms of making [00:17] Superstorm Sandy that much stronger. And the reality [00:19] is it's, it's kind of hard to tell. And now we know that [00:21] warmer ocean water tends to supercharge hurricanes [00:24] like Sandy and the Atlantic Ocean. It's gotten two [00:27] degrees Fahrenheit warmer over the last century. In [00:29] this particular year, it's been, you've had a really warm [00:32] ocean water. That may have actually helped it form, [00:34] may have helped it become that much stronger. But [00:36] Sandy's a little different. It's not just a hurricane. It's [00:39] actually a, a frankenstorm that came up from the [00:41] Caribbean. And then met this unusual blocking pattern [00:44] of air coming from the Arctic. There are some [00:46] scientists who believe that the melting of Arctic sea ice [00:49] over the North Pole, which hit record levels this past [00:51] summer, may actually have contributed to that [00:53] blocking pattern. It may have actually pushed Sandy [00:56] into the west, but we don't know that yet. But one thing [00:59] we do know is that sea level rise has been increasing [01:02] over the past century largely due to climate change. [01:04] And when the seas are higher, that makes for the kind [01:07] of storm surges we saw when, when Sandy struck [01:10] places like New Jersey and especially New York City [01:12] that much stronger. Now, we have to wonder what's [01:14] going to happen in the future. Climate change is almost [01:16] certainly going to get worse. You'll see warmer [01:18] temperatures. You'll see higher sea level. That means [01:21] we really have to watch out for storms like this in the [01:24] future. It's not necessarily that they'll be that much [01:26] stronger or more common, but the environment will be [01:29] ready to, to make those storms all the worse. So, part [01:32] of that, preparation's gonna have to be, involve [01:34] actually, reducing carbon emissions, trying to mitigate [01:36] climate change, trying to make it, less catastrophic. But [01:40] we'll also have to think about, how do we live in cities [01:43] that are in vulnerable areas? How do we live on the [01:45] coast? After all, 3. 7 million Americans live within four [01:48] feet of high tide. Those are the people who, on the [01:51] east coast, were most threatened by Sandy. Now some [01:53] cities have already taken steps to try to prepare for [01:56] that, that warmer future. London actually is putting a, a [01:59] sea barrier that, in the River Thames that will help [02:01] reduce the risk of a similar kind of flood, similar kind [02:03] of sea level rise that we've seen here with Sandy. Of [02:06] course cities like Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and [02:09] even New Orleans essentially had to build man made [02:12] barriers for, to, to actually exist to begin with. But, you [02:15] know, those kind of very expensive measures may [02:17] become all the more necessary in the future as, as the [02:20] world gets warmer, sea levels rise, those storms get [02:22] stronger. 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