Pink zinc which was given to fans by New Zealand Cricket and major sponsor ANZ at international matches has come in the news for its ingredients. It has microplastics, nanoparticles and substances which are not allowed to use in other parts of the planet. However, It is distributed for games featuring the players of New Zealand both men and women. Both the teams of New Zealand wore the zinc recently at the double-header in Tauranga.
However, the substance is a part of the “Show Your Colours” campaign which is promoting the White Ferns in the run-up to the T20 World Cup later this month in Australia, beginning February 21 and ANZ has taken the responsibility of promotion.
New Zealand-based Stuff.co.nz first reported about the incident, citing one major thing used in the pink zinc — octocrylene — has already been banned in Hawaii, the US Virgin Islands and Palau since it is harmful to the marine ecosystems. Even the other ingredients banned abroad are Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and benzophenone-3 which is also found in sunscreens to block ultraviolet rays.
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However, the reports added that scientists from the University of Canterbury checked the ingredients. Associate professor Sally Gaw, an environmental chemist, also found microplastics in the form of Polymethylsilsesquioxane — a synthetic polymer there which is used in cosmetics and sunscreens as well.
“The presence of microplastics in sunscreens highlights how much plastics are used in everyday life and the challenges involved in reducing the release of microplastics into the environment,” she was quoted as saying.
Moreover, the EPA has shared the guidelines about the labelling of nanoparticles and recommendations of product disposal but the pink zinc does not come with the new guidelines. Inclusion of nanoparticles is not mentioned there too. EPA’s acting General Manager, hazardous substances and new organisms, Gayle Holmes referred to this as a “transition period” for cosmetic labelling the requirements of which will be done by December next year.
