The Issue

In aquatic environments, toxic sunscreens that contain certain chemicals harm the watershed. This is a very large issue for the Yuba River, which is created by tourism. 

The chemicals end up in the water when people use the river, and build up over time. We need to keep these chemicals out of the River and reduce the environmental and water pollution caused by the chemicals in these sunscreens, such as Homosalate, a chemical used to absorb UVB rays but also has been linked to cancer in humans, disrupting endocrine systems in aquatic life, as well as coral bleaching (coral.org, oceanservice.noaa.gov). This key chemical also disturbs the environment for aquatic life and causes algae growth in water, due to the excessive nutrients in the chemical. Another important key chemical that harms the river is Octinoxate, decreasing the reproductive cycles of fish (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov sciencedirect.com). 

Also, the large use of chemical sunscreen causes a slick texture to the surface water in the summer months, ruining an otherwise perfect Yuba River experience. Overall, these chemicals, and many others can reduce aquatic reproduction, which can cause species loss in the Yuba, and contaminate the water.