The Truth About Microbeads And Why It's Banned For The First Time In The World
You know those exfoliating microbeads you get in your facial washes? Illinois, US, just became the first jurisdiction in the world to ban them.
By Melody Oei — 16 Jun 2014, 05:35 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
Illinois In US Became The First Jurisdiction In The World To Ban Exfoliating Microbeads
Illinois signed a bill into law on Sunday that will ban the sale and production of hand soaps, facial scrubs, and other personal care products containing plastic microbeads. The manufacturing ban goes into place at the end of 2018, and the sales ban will go into place a year later, putting the law into effect at a slow pace.
theverge.com
Microbeads Are The Tiny Bits Of Plastic Found In Consumer Products Like Skin Exfoliants And Soap
Beauty and personal care products containing plastic microbeads, like the face wash pictured here, are among the top contributors to the microplastics found in the Great Lakes.
Image via SarniathisweekAccording To Environmentalists, These Plastic Microbeads Cause Huge Amounts Of Environmental Damage
Plastic microbeads have been running off by the billions into the Great Lakes and the oceans, causing huge amounts of environmental damage.
Image via BBCDemocratic Assemblyman Richard Bloom, says microbeads "are a significant part of the debris accumulating in the Pacific Ocean and are also found at alarming levels in our local waterways." Legislators in New York and Illinois are also considering measures that would ban microbeads.
When Microbeads Are Washed Down The Drain, They're Usually Missed By Filtration Systems And Become Food To Fish And Other Wildlife
Microbeads range in size from 0.0004 to 1.24 mm, making them too small to be filtered out by wastewater treatment plants.
Image via 5 Gyres InstituteCommonly made of polyethylene or polypropylene, the tiny beads range in size from 0.0004 to 1.24 mm, making them too small to be filtered out by wastewater treatment plants.
Studies have found thousands and even millions of the tiny particles per square kilometer in the Great Lakes. The Illinois law bans the manufacture of microbeads in consumer products by the end of 2017. Some companies, like Johnson & Johnson, are already phasing them out in facial cleansers and other products and are testing alternatives.
npr.orgScientists Say The Non-Biodegradable Microbeads Absorb Chemicals, Pesticides And Other Toxins That Can Eventually End Up On Our Dinner Plates
Scientists say the non-biodegradable microbeads absorb chemicals, pesticides and other toxins that can eventually end up in the food chain -- and on our dinner plates. High concentrations of microbeads have also been found in The Great Lakes.
"By the time the plastic gets downstream towards the ocean, they become these toxic pills," Marcus Eriksen, executive director and co-founder of the 5 Gyres Institute, an advocacy group that monitors plastic pollution in the world's oceans, recently told CBS News. "Even a small microbead, as it tumbles down stream, is picking up all kinds of industrial chemicals."
Personal Care Product Manufacturers Like Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive And Procter & Gamble Have Promised To Cut Microbeads From Their Products In The Coming Years
A number of personal care product manufacturers have promised to cut microbeads from their products in the coming years, but dates vary. Unilever is aiming for 2015, Colgate-Palmolive in 2014, Procter & Gamble vowed to be free by 2017, while Johnson & Johnson and L'Oréal haven't given a date.
The Dutch Parliament Is Also Pushing For A European Ban On Plastic Microbead Usage
Three other U.S. states — Ohio, New York and California — have microbead-free acts wending through their legislatures. Minnesota is seeking a study on the plastic's impact.