Sunscreen chemicals wash into the sea and have toxic effects on marine life.
American Chemical Society researchers found common ingredients in sunscreen react with the sun’s ultraviolet light to form toxic compounds, such as hydrogen peroxide, which are then rinsed off skin and into the ocean.
High amounts of hydrogen peroxide could harm the microscopic algae, which is food for other marine animals, such as small fish or whales.
The study analysed seawater samples and tourism data from Majorca Island’s Palmira beach, which is visited by more than 200 million tourists per year.
The findings, which were published in Environmental Science and Technology, have demonstrated the impact beachgoers have on life in coastal waters.
Read more at American Chemical Society