Human PollutionFor years, industrial pollution has had a negative effect on the world's coral reefs. Recently,however, scientists have hypothesized that another category of pollution is also threatening thereefs' survival. It appears the sunscreen that millions of swimmers use to protect their skin fromthe sun causes coral reefs to die. The chemicals in the sunscreen do not kill the creaturesthemselves. Instead, the chemicals cause the coral animals to push out the tiny brilliantlycolored plants called algae that live inside their bodies. When this happens, the whole reefbegins to die.