Toxicity and Hazards of Biodegradable and Non-Biodegradable Sunscreens to Aquatic Life of Quintana Roo, Mexico

Miguel Hernández-Pedraza, José Adán Caballero-Vázquez, Jorge Carlos Peniche-Pérez, Ignacio Alejandro Pérez-Legaspi, Diego Armando Casas-Beltran and Jesús Alvarado-Flores
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Miguel Hernández-Pedraza: Colegio Boston, Cancún, Quintana Roo C.P. 77535, Mexico
José Adán Caballero-Vázquez: Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Unidad de Ciencias del Agua, Cancún, Quintana Roo C.P. 77500, Mexico
Jorge Carlos Peniche-Pérez: Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Unidad de Ciencias del Agua, Cancún, Quintana Roo C.P. 77500, Mexico
Ignacio Alejandro Pérez-Legaspi: División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Instituto Tecnológico de Boca del Rio, Tecnológico Nacional de Mexico Boca del Rio Mexico, Veracruz C.P. 94290, Mexico
Diego Armando Casas-Beltran: Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Unidad de Ciencias del Agua, Cancún, Quintana Roo C.P. 77500, Mexico
Jesús Alvarado-Flores: Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Unidad de Ciencias del Agua, Cancún, Quintana Roo C.P. 77500, Mexico

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-11

Abstract: Sunscreens have spread widely into aquatic systems over the last 18 years in Quintana Roo, Mexico. This contamination is caused by intensive use as a result of leisure activities, as sunbathers apply the substances intensively (up to 83.75% of tourists and locals). Moreover, 25% of the compounds are mainly released into the water through topical products washing off. On average, 300,000 tourists arrive every week in Quintana Roo, increasing the contamination. In addition, there are no recent studies on sunscreen toxicity and the hazards this represents for the native zooplankton of Quintana Roo. In order to assess their adverse effects, acute toxicity was assessed for nine sunscreens (five non-biodegradable and four biodegradable) in four zooplankton species ( Brachionus cf ibericus , Cypridopsis vidua , Diaphanocypris meridana , and Macrothrix triserialis ). In total, 21 LC 50 values were obtained, which are the baseline values for estimating risk and for determining the expected maximum permissible concentration. Our data on toxicity to freshwater species compared to marine species indicate that freshwater species are more sensitive than marine species. In conclusion, biodegradable sunscreen posed a moderate risk, and non-biodegradable posed a high risk. Our outcomes suggested that the maximum permissible concentrations for the contamination of sunscreens were 8.00E-05 g/L for non-biodegradable and 1.60E-04 g/L for biodegradable sunscreens.

Keywords: touristic impact; bioindicators; organic contamination; groundwater; Caribbean Sea (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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