UPDATE Dec. 18, 2015: The Senate votes unanimously to pass H.R. 1321. Bill will go to President Obama for signature. Stay tuned — the Microbead-Free Waters Act.
By Elizabeth Glazner
Though smaller than a grain of sand, microbeads constitute a significant amount of pollution in our waterways. Also known as polyethylene microspheres, these tiny pieces of plastic are the colored dots in toothpaste and face wash designed to make a product look like it will polish your teeth or skin.
Fortunately, they may soon be banned in the US. In November, the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 was approved unanimously by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The bill will now be considered by the full House of Representatives, where it has early bipartisan support. It is currently sponsored by 31 Democrats and five Republicans.
STAY UPDATED on H.R. 1321, the Microbead-Free Waters Act
Reports about the harms associated with microbead pollution are quickly mounting. We know, for example, that polyethylene microspheres are found in disturbing concentrations in our oceans and our freshwater lakes, rivers, and streams. They wash down the drains in our sinks and through water treatment systems because they are too small to be caught in filters.
Once in our waterways, microbeads are small enough to be ingested by the smallest links in our food chain — microscopic plankton. In aquatic environments, these plastic particles can also attract and concentrate other contaminants, such as PCBs, DDT, and PBDE, which can then be eaten by larger organisms like fish, and potentially ingested by the humans that consume them. They have become so ubiquitous they are now being detected in our table salt.
Read more at Earth Island Journal.
Elizabeth Glazner is editorial director.
Photo: MPCA
Join the International Campaign Against Microbeads in Cosmetics
"… They wash down the drains in our sinks and through water treatment systems because they are …" [here is the clincher] … "too small to be caught in filters."
I’m confused… there are a lot of extremely dangerous things that are much smaller than microbeads … what else are we sending into the worlds waters? Something is way wrong here, no?
I do hope that there will be a Microbead ban in the UK. I would never buy toothpaste or any other product containing this poison.
Hit the manufacturers and list which products contain microbeads so consumers can make easier choices. It’s hard right now too know which products to choose as labels are difficult to read.
read my album :https://www.facebook.com/stella.witt1/media_set?set=a.4744513046252.2184141.1097780262&type=3
its not only the microbeads in cosmetics but also through washing fleece.washmachine nowadays have a bigger(or no) flufffilter and everything goes directly to the water system.its like VW lying about the air.the washmachine companies lie about the flufffilter and made them bigger.the fishing lines are out of polyester instead of hemp like before look how puffinfs are dying in scotland:https://www.facebook.com/stella.witt1/media_set?set=a.10206514377953696.1073742031.1097780262&type=3
look at the washmachine on the left no fluff filter to clean…microbeads from the fleece is directly washed into the water:https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206944697031404&set=a.10206944555907876.1073742053.1097780262&type=3&theater