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Soap, sunscreen chemicals found in Antarctic waters: New Zealand research

Source: Xinhua | December 4, 2014, Thursday | Online Edition

POLLUTING chemicals found in everyday soaps, cosmetics and sunscreens can be found in waters off Antarctica at the same levels as many urban areas of the world, according to research from New Zealand out Thursday.

The active ingredients in personal care products -- classed as emerging organic contaminants (EOC) that can harm the ecology or human health -- were present in sewage effluents discharged from Antarctic research bases, said the University of Canterbury researchers.

The EOCs were found in coastal waters of the sparsely populated frozen continent at concentrations comparable to more urban areas in the world, including New Zealand, researcher Dr Phil Emnet said in a statement.

"We found contaminants along larger coastal areas than we expected. It is likely that the environmental conditions, including extreme cold, could have contributed to the persistence of some of these compounds in seawater. Sewage discharges may therefore be having greater impacts over a much wider area in marine environments than previously thought," Emnet said.

The presence of EOCs was of international concern as many of the everyday chemicals were designed to be biologically active and could have adverse effects on marine organisms, but this had not been studied, researcher supervisor Dr Sally Gaw said in the statement.

"This study will lead to better waste management and monitoring systems being put in place for Antarctic research programs," Gaw said.

Dr Neil Gilbert, of the university's Antarctica New Zealand research institute, said in the statement that the research had identified an opportunity to improve environmental management on the ice.

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