If New York law makers have their way, you may soon be switching to a new brand of toothpaste.
New York is poised to become the first state to ban products containing small plastic microbeads – found in some popular beauty products, soaps and toothpastes. The Microbead-Free Waters Act, introduced by Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and Assemblyman Robert K. Sweeney, proposed a ban on the manufacturing, distribution and sale of any product with plastic particles that are less than 5 millimeters in size.
Scientists have discovered that the microbeads in beauty products, which average less than one millimeter in size, are found in very high levels throughout the three lakes they sampled, Superior, Huron, and Erie. The highest concentration of microbeads was found in Lake Erie, making up half of the plastic found at the lake’s surface. A single product can contain as many as 350,000 microbeads. Because of their physical properties, not all microbeads are collected by waste treatment plants; the remaining beads can flow into waterways and settle in oceans, lakes, and rivers. On a larger scale, cars driven into the lake – now resting at the bottom – also contribute to the pollution. Let’s hope the owners had good car insurance.
While cars can be towed out of the lake, microbeads are a more challenging problem:
- They can remain in the environment for hundreds of years
- Once in the water, they attract and accumulate certain toxic chemicals commonly found in waters across the state
- When fish and wildlife species eat these contaminated plastics, the chemicals could move up the food chain and be consumed by humans
The beauty industry has started to take its own action based on the microbead research – the three largest companies, Procter and Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive and Johnson & Johnson have all agreed to start phasing out microbeads, which are used in more than 100 personal care products.
To avoid products that contain the microbeads, look for ingredients on the label with the words “polyethylene” or “polypropylene”. If you have an iPhone, you can download the “Beat the Microbead” app, which lets users scan the barcode of a product to see whether it contains plastics.
There are several choices for consumers wanting to find natural abrasives that are kind to the environment and can be used in place of microbeads, with good results.
Microbead Alternatives – Environmentally Safe Natural Abrasives
· Walnut shells
· Sea salt
· Pecan shells
· Apricot shells
· Cocoa beans
California is following New York’s lead, introducing legislation that will also ban companies from making products using microbeads beginning in January 2016. Both bills hit violators with fines up to $2500 for each violation. An environmental group, 5 Gyres, has been studying plastic pollution in the Great Lakes and contributed to the development of legislation in both states. They define the problem: “Plastics: made to last forever, designed to throw away”.
So both coasts are leading the charge to protect the environment. Time will tell if they succeeded.
And while you’re out driving around looking for products without the microbeads, remember to steer clear of frozen lakes and make sure your car insurance is up to date.
Do you think microbeads are a serious problem? Feel free to share your thoughts and comments in the section below.