Oxybenzone (Benzophenone-3) is an emerging human and environmental contaminant used in
sunscreens and
personal care products to help minimize the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation. The Center for Disease Control fourth national report on human exposure to environmental chemicals demonstrated that approximately 97% of the people tested have
oxybenzone present in their urine, and independent scientists have reported various concentrations in waterways and fish worldwide.
Oxybenzone can also react with
chlorine, producing hazardous by-products that can concentrate in swimming pools and wastewater treatment plants. Moreover, adverse reactions could very well be increased by the closed loop of ingesting fish contaminated with
oxybenzone and/or washing the ingredient off our bodies and having it return in
drinking water as treatment plants do not effectively remove the chemical as part of their processing protocols. In humans,
oxybenzone has been reported to produce contact and photocontact
allergy reactions, implemented as a possible
endocrine disruptor and has been linked to
Hirschsprung's disease. Environmentally,
oxybenzone has been shown to produce a variety of toxic reactions in coral and fish ranging from reef bleaching to mortality. Lastly, with the rise in
skin cancer rates and the availability of more effective
sunscreen actives such as micronized
zinc oxide and
titanium dioxide, serious doubts about the relative prevention benefit of
personal care products containing
oxybenzone must be raised and compared with the potential negative health and environmental effects caused by the accumulation of this and other chemicals in the ecosystem.