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Sunscreen wipes out corals

Nature (2008)Cite this article

Study shows how chemicals can kill symbiotic algae.

Sunscreen can bleach coral reefs, researchers have confirmed. The chemicals that filter ultraviolet (UV) light can activate latent viral infections in the symbiotic microalgae that the corals rely on for nutrition.

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References

  1. Danovaro, R. et al. Environ. Health Perspect. doi:10.1289/ehp.10966 (2008).

  2. Lohr, J., Munn, C. B. & Wilson, W. H. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73, 2976-2981 (2007). doi:10.1128/AEM.02449-06

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  1. Susan Brown
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Brown, S. Sunscreen wipes out corals. Nature (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/news.2008.537

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/news.2008.537

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