An alarming surprise. Sunscreen residues found in Arctic snow: how it happened

Humanity has managed to “inherit” all over the world throughout the history of its existence: traces of human activity in the form of microplastics and “eternal chemicals” can already be found everywhere, from the Arctic to the deepest parts of the ocean. For example, a plastic bag was previously found in the Mariana Trench, the deepest point of the Pacific Ocean. It’s also easy to see the traces of human activity in greenhouse gas emissions that continue to accumulate inexorably in the Earth’s atmosphere, the Daily Mail writes.

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A new study by scientists from Venice Ca Foscari University in Spain points to another serious development in human history. Scientists have added a list of 13 ingredients commonly used to make sunscreens and other personal care products to the “human traces” list. Unfortunately, they were all discovered in the snow cover of 5 Arctic glaciers in the Spitsbergen archipelago.

Some of these chemicals were actually first noticed by scientists in the snows of Svalbard, according to polar scientist Marianne D’Amico, one of the study’s authors. The team admits that this finding is quite alarming, but at the same time, scientists are confident that such analyzes are extremely important for humanity. In fact, they allow us to better understand exactly where such pollutants are located and where they come from in such remote parts of the planet. Moreover, such findings could be an impetus for people to solve the climate problem and stop pollution as soon as possible.

The subject of a new study was what were called “chemicals of concern in the Arctic” (CEACs). The list of compounds was determined by environmental scientists and actually represents documentation of the scale and consequences of pollution in the Arctic region.

While the production and use of chemicals is increasing, information about their distribution and behavior in the polar environment is insufficient, according to D’Amico. Some CEACs are known to have already been discovered in Antarctica and the Arctic: they have been observed in surface waters, seawater and wastewater streams near research stations. At the same time, scientists know very little about where they come from.

In the new study, scientists focused on gathering more evidence about the spread of pollutants. The team examined 13 common ingredients in personal care products, including fragrances found in soaps and shampoos, as well as UV filters such as benzophenone-3 used in sunscreens.

The scientists collected 25 snow samples from an area south of the village of Ny-Ålesund and from five glaciers up to 40 kilometers away: all samples were collected from different depths. The results show that the concentration of UV filters accumulated in winter in all but one glacier is higher than in snow cover in other seasons. The researchers found that two UV filters—BP3 and octocrylene—were more abundant at the tops of glaciers.

The study’s authors note that additional analyzes will be needed to understand whether contaminants in Arctic snow are dangerous and approaching toxic levels. Understanding how quickly and from what sources these pollutants enter Arctic snows will also require years of further observations.

Previously Focus He wrote that the lethal effect was “destroying” humanity: Named after something that kills 5.1 million people every year.