Estimation of the Discharge of Sunscreens in Aquatic Environments of the Mexican Caribbean

Tourist growth in Quintana Roo, Mexico has brought with it an increase of pollution by sunscreens to aquatic ecosystems, which represents an environmental risk because of the chemical components of sunscreens that can negatively affect human health and aquatic ecosystems. However, the magnitude of p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environments (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2020-02, Vol.7 (2), p.15
Main Authors: Casas-Beltran, Diego Armando, Hernández-Pedraza, Miguel, Alvarado-Flores, Jesús
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic ecosystems
Aquatic environment
Aquatic organisms
Aquifers
Contaminants
Contamination
Drainage systems
Drinking water
Ecosystems
Environmental risk
GDP
Gross Domestic Product
Karst
National parks
organic contaminants
Parks & recreation areas
personal care products
Pollution
Statistical analysis
Sun screens
Sunscreen
Sunscreens
Tourism
Tourists
water quality
water sustainability
Water treatment
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Summary:Tourist growth in Quintana Roo, Mexico has brought with it an increase of pollution by sunscreens to aquatic ecosystems, which represents an environmental risk because of the chemical components of sunscreens that can negatively affect human health and aquatic ecosystems. However, the magnitude of pollution in aquatic environments is unknown. Consequently, we sought to estimate the contamination by sunscreens based on usage and tourism statistics. Our estimate indicates that the water in Quintana Roo will receive nearly 4367.25 tons of chemicals from sunscreens used by residents and tourists over a period of 18 years (2007 to 2025). On average, each tourist stays in Quintana Roo for 3.45 days, and 89.9% of these visitors apply sunscreen, although only the 83.7% engage in water activities. Additionally, 30.4% of residents engage in water activities for an average of 1.5 days/year. We considered direct sunscreen contaminant contamination, which occurs from the application of sunscreen and subsequent water activities, as well as indirect contamination, which occurs when people wash their skin with drinking water that then enters the drainage system. Our analysis indicated that the greatest contribution of sunscreen to the karst aquifer of Quintana Roo, is direct. Chemicals dissolved in water are a danger to aquatic life and human health.
ISSN:2076-3298
2076-3298
DOI:10.3390/environments7020015