By Susan Hiestand
Pollution Prevention Specialist
Plastic microbeads used in personal care products are ending up in our waterways. They are commonly used in beauty products, facial scrubs, and toothpastes. When people use these products, the beads are washed down the drain.
Because they range in size from 0.0004 to 1.24 millimeters, about as big as the period at the end of this sentence, they are too small to be filtered out by wastewater treatment plants. These tiny plastic beads do not biodegrade, so drifting through waterways they absorb hydrocarbon pollutants and become even more toxic. They are consumed by fish and other aquatic life because they resemble fish eggs.
Pollution Prevention Specialist
Plastic microbeads used in personal care products are ending up in our waterways. They are commonly used in beauty products, facial scrubs, and toothpastes. When people use these products, the beads are washed down the drain.
Because they range in size from 0.0004 to 1.24 millimeters, about as big as the period at the end of this sentence, they are too small to be filtered out by wastewater treatment plants. These tiny plastic beads do not biodegrade, so drifting through waterways they absorb hydrocarbon pollutants and become even more toxic. They are consumed by fish and other aquatic life because they resemble fish eggs.
Thanks to growing consumer awareness and concern, more manufacturers are pledging to switch from plastics to natural ingredients. Legislation to ban them from personal care products recently passed in Illinois and is pending in California, Ohio, and New York. If you are looking for an exfoliant, choose natural products such as ground cocoa shells, jojoba, apricot shells, or oat kernel flour.
To help prevent this plastic from polluting the Bay, never choose personal care products with these ingredients: Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polythene, Polymethyl methacrylate, or Nylon.
