ANSES confirms the negative impact of several substances on the health of coral reefs.
Description
In a report published on Monday 18 September, ANSES (the French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety) confirms the negative impact of several substances on the health of coral reefs. Half of the 53 substances examined, including several sunscreens, could be contributing to their degradation, but the Agency warns that this figure is very likely to be an underestimate.
Commissioned in 2018 by the government to carry out an audit of the chemical substances present in consumer products (notably sunscreens, washing powder and cosmetics) that have an impact on corals, ANSES is calling for discharges of dangerous substances to be limited at source.
The impact of several chemical substances confirmed
Of the hundred or so substances identified as potentially toxic to corals, ANSES was able to carry out a risk assessment for around fifty of them (UV filters, hydrocarbons, pesticides and metals), based mainly on data available in Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion and Mayotte.
"The assessment shows that half of the substances evaluated may present risks for coral reefs and contribute to their degradation", concludes the Agency, while warning that, in the absence of available data, this number is very likely to be underestimated.
To carry out this work, ANSES drew on a study by the French Office for Biodiversity and PatriNat, which lists chemical substances likely to have toxic effects on corals.
"We then cross-referenced the danger thresholds applicable to corals for these substances with the concentration levels observed in the environment. This enabled us to identify the substances at risk for corals in Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte and Réunion," explains Karen Burga, coordinator of this work.
Read more in french: https://www.premiumbeautynews.com/fr/coraux-l-anses-confirme-l-effet,22592
Source: premium Beauty News
