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Reality check: What can we expect from an ecological risk assessment of UV filters on coral reefs?
Citation:
Raimondo, S. Reality check: What can we expect from an ecological risk assessment of UV filters on coral reefs? Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, KS, 20(2):309-311, (2024). https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.4889
Impact/Purpose:
Recent concerns about the potential toxicity of sunscreen active ingredients (ultraviolet [UV] filters) on aquatic organisms led to a congressional mandate for the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to evaluate the state of the science on the environmental impacts of UV filters. The NASEM report, released August 2022, recommended EPA conduct an ecological risk assessment (ERA) of marketed sunscreen UV filters in aquatic environments. This invited editorial reviews the uncertainties in exposure, effects, and risk characterization phases of ERA that will be associated with the limited data and models available for these compounds. The editorial advocates for international collaborations to develop water quality benchmarks for UV filters that will provide the scientific basis for States and local municipalities to mitigate reefs that are at a high risk of exposure to UV filters in sunscreens.
Description:
Recent concerns about the potential toxicity of sunscreen active ingredients (ultraviolet [UV] filters) on aquatic organisms led to a congressional mandate for the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to evaluate the state of the science on the environmental impacts of UV filters. The NASEM report, released August 2022, recommended EPA conduct an ecological risk assessment (ERA) of marketed sunscreen UV filters in aquatic environments. This invited editorial reviews the uncertainties in exposure, effects, and risk characterization phases of ERA that will be associated with the limited data and models available for these compounds. The editorial advocates for international collaborations to develop water quality benchmarks for UV filters that will provide the scientific basis for States and local municipalities to mitigate reefs that are at a high risk of exposure to UV filters in sunscreens.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Reality check: What can we expect from an ecological risk assessment of UV filters on coral reefs?