2018-10-05
HKBU study: Sunscreen chemicals harm fish embryos and could pose risk to humans
A study by HKBU has detected an extensive amount of sunscreen
chemicals in seawater that could pose a risk to human health. The study,
a world-first in identifying the harm caused by a combination of
polluting chemicals in sunscreen, found the chemicals can cause
abnormalities in and kill the offspring of zebrafish by entering the
food chain. As the genetic structure of zebrafish resembles that of
humans, the results imply that these contaminants could pose a risk to
humans. The study also revealed that these contaminants are commonly
found in the coastal waters of Hong Kong.
The team was led by Dr Kelvin Leung, Associate Professor of the Department of Chemistry. For more details, please refer to: https://cpro.hkbu.edu.hk/en/press_release/detail/HKBU-study:-Sunscreen-chemicals-harm-fish-embryos-and-could-pose-risk-to-humans/