It Was Only A Matter Of Time

Hot on the heels of a single published report that some sunscreen ingredients can awaken dormant viruses in the symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae that live inside reef-building coral species, a Beverly Hills laboratory is now marketing its product, Burn B Gone, as the only coral reef-friendly, sunscreen-free sunburn protection available.

According to the DeWitt Laboratories, Inc. product website, Burn B Gone--currently used by Beverly Hills plastic surgery centers, laser skin resurfacing and hair removal clinics, hospitals, dermatologists and podiatrists--is an advanced hydration gel formula that helps to soothe and revitalizes traumatized skin and dramatically improves scars like no other product in the world.

I have to admit there's a certain patent medicine, all-things-to-all-users quality to what the manufacturers of Burn B Gone claim their product can remedy. The complete list includes: sunburns, thermal burns and razor burns, laser skin resurfacing, deep glycolic acid & tca peels, general laser treatments including hair and tattoo removal, jellyfish, stingray, man-o-war, mosquito, bee, spider and other bites, podiatric surgeries and procedures, microdermabrasion, collagen & restylane injections, and for use on new tattoos. And now you can add sun protection for use in coral reef regions where sunscreens are not permitted.

Burn B Gone devotes an entire page on its website to explaining the global threats to coral reefs. It takes 1756 words to provide a Coral Reef Ecology 101 and fully convey all the miscellaneous human-induced threats. The final 181 words explain how "suntan oils, lotions and products containing sunscreens negatively affect the coral ecosystem because sunscreens cause the rapid and complete bleaching of hard corals, even at extremely low concentrations." Well, actually they have been shown to promote viral growth in the algal symbionts during a limited, clinical laboratory study that resulted in coral bleaching. No trials were conducted in the field in real world settings. But that doesn't matter, because DeWitt Laboratories, Inc. has the solution. Use Burn B Gone. All made available at the remarkable bargain of $34.95 for a 2.5 fl. oz. tube.

I've written here before about how fingers have pointed at bather's pee and too much sunscreen use as potential threats to coral health. Until the recent published study on sunscreens and coral bleaching, these have always existed in the category of perceived threats. But even with the published study, every coral reef destination visited by peeing, sunscreen-wearing tourists is a unique case. It seems too easy to fall prey of the logical fallacy of post hoc ergo propter hoc.

Many factors contribute to making an easy answer of positive correlation difficult. A few of these might include volume and frequency of human traffic, amount of snorkelers wearing sunblock, physical parameters of the destination (embayment, open water, shallow, deep, etc.) and degree of wave action and oceanic circulation in the site. Finally, what sort of equation or methodology do you use to estimate how many snorkelers or divers are actually shedding sunscreen? As I mentioned previously, I've yet to find a study that addresses the sunscreen issue from such a controlled approach in the field. If readers know of any, I'm all ears.

Lacking conclusive evidence, the precautionary approach should prevail. And while I'm somewhat skeptical of the cure-all nature of Burn B Gone, if it simultaneously prevents sunburns while safeguarding coral health then it's a no-brainer. Better yet, why not avoid sunblocks altogether and invest in an inexpensive snorkel/surf skin or suit (an ultra-thin Lycra or Spandex material that is close-fitting to the skin and blocks 100% of harmful UV radiation.) These shirts and suits are also known as rash guards as they are effective at preventing stinging marine life (jellies and their kin) from using their nematocysts to sting.

Hat tip to Liz for the heads-up on this.