Zinc may be in the pink, but it sure ain’t green
Pink zinc given to fans at international cricket games contains microplastics, nanoparticles and substances banned in other parts of the world.
It is being distributed by New Zealand Cricket and major sponsor ANZ at Black Caps and White Ferns games, with 20,000 of the 5g pink zinc containers.
The two New Zealand teams wore the zinc at the double-header in Tauranga last week.
The zinc is part of the ‘‘Show Your Colours’’ campaign promoting the White Ferns in the build up to the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in Australia this month, a promotion spear-headed by ANZ.
One major ingredient in the zinc – octocrylene – has been banned in Hawaii, the United States Virgin Islands and Palau because of its links to the degradation of marine ecosystems.
Other ingredients banned overseas include ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and benzophenone-3, common in sunscreen to block ultraviolet rays.
The three ingredients are restricted in New Zealand, with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines stating their use must be limited to below a certain percentage.
Titanium dioxide is also present in the pink zinc. Used in a number of cosmetic products and as a food additive, its use was put under review in 2017 following a study that found its use was linked to early stages of cancer.
A team of scientists from the University of Canterbury have looked into the ingredients in NZ Cricket’s pink zinc.
While it contains common ingredients found in sunscreen, environmental chemist Associate Professor Sally Gaw also found microplastics in the form of polymethylsilsesquioxane – a polymer used in cosmetics and sunscreens to repel water.
Professor of toxicology Ian Shaw said there were environmental implications associated with microplastics in the zinc, but it was important to weigh the risks and benefits when using these products.
‘‘Microplastics from sunscreens would constitute an insignificant proportion of the microplastics problem, in my opinion,’’ he said. ‘‘The sunscreen’s benefit, I think, outweighs this risk.’’
Shaw said nanoparticles are present in zinc oxide, the main ingredient in the pink zinc.
‘‘Zinc nanoparticles applied to the skin are only very, very slightly absorbed to give blood levels only marginally above normal zinc levels,’’ he said.
‘‘However, the UV absorbing/ reflecting properties of the zinc nanoparticles protects the DNA in skin cells from the sort of damage that can lead to melanoma.
‘‘This risk is well worth benefit of the sunscreen.’’
TheEnvironmental Protection Agency has put into place guidelines regarding labelling of nanoparticles and recommendations of product disposal. The pink zinc does not meet the new guidelines. Inclusion of nanoparticles is not mentioned, nor are recommendations for disposal of the product. the
Gayle Holmes, the agency’s acting general manager hazardous substances and new organisms, said there was a ‘‘transition period’’ for cosmetic labelling. All cosmetic labelling requirements must be met by December 2021.
Every cosmetic is listed within the Cosmetic Products Group Standard under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act. Suppliers are required to inform the agency of the products to ensure proper classification. Consultation is also required. The pink zinc was imported by New Zealand-based promotions company Zinc, which worked with
ANZ on the campaign. The campaign was signed off by NZ Cricket.
Shaw said it is important products have disposal advice on their labels and for the product to be disposed of appropriately to reduce the environmental impact.
An ANZ spokesperson said it would ‘‘reiterate to promotional staff the importance of asking people to dispose of it responsibly when finished’’.
‘‘The outer packaging can be recycled and the tube and any remaining pink zinc can be disposed of in household rubbish, in line with Environmental Protection Authority guidelines.’’
Dr Pramuditha Abhayawardhana, a lecturer in healthcare formulation, said several controversies had ‘‘swirled’’ around ingredients in sunscreen.
She said more research needed to be done into sunscreen formulations in New Zealand.
‘‘Multiple parties need to come together to produce reliable and improved scientific data for safe and effective formulations.
‘‘It would be much safer if sunscreen formulations in New Zealand could be regulated better, similar to most other parts of the world, especially because the use is high, owing to the fact New Zealand has the highest incidence rate of serious types of skin cancers.’’