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Pollution from cosmetics kills sea life. (AP/Francois Mori)
Our skin cream and cosmetics may be destroying the oceans. According to research by Tobias Porsbring, PhD, a scientist at University of Gothenburg, Sweden, ingredients in skin creams and cosmetics, such as clotrimazole (used to fight vaginal infections and athlete’s foot) are killing sea life.
"The pharmaceuticals and chemicals in everyday use form a mixture in the ocean that has a direct impact on the growth and reproduction of organisms," warns Dr. Porsbring.
While governments usually test chemical pollutants one ingredient at a time, studies show that the chemicals we use to wash our hair and clean our skin combine to form pollution “cocktails.” These cocktails harm the environment synergistically more than each would by themselves.
According to Dr. Porsbring, clotrimazole disrupts the metabolism of algae, which is at the bottom of the food chain in the ocean. “ Single-cell microalgae are the fundamental basis of the ocean food chain, and the use of clotrimazole thus may affect the complete ocean ecosystem," Dr. Porsbring explains.
Problematic pollutants in the ocean include zinc pyrithione, found in dandruff shampoos, propranolol, a blood pressure drug and triclosan, in anti-bacterial soaps. When these combine they can destroy microalgal communities. In addition, tests show that pollutants like zinc pyrithione do not biodegrade.
Dr. Porsbring recommends that pollutants like these need to be tested for their collective effects, rather than individually.
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