Microbeads in my face wash is a problem. Not that harsh chemicals is going to irk my skin, but because it contaminates Lake Erie. A research conducted by chemistry professor Sheri Mason found large quantities of mysterious form of non degradable perfectly round shaped plastic aka microbeads in Lake Erie. Microbeads are nothing but an ingredient often used in face and body washes and sometimes even in toothpastes for exfoliating purposes. Jittered by the environmental hazard New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has called for a ban in microbeads. Long Island Assemblyman Robert Sweeney, D-Suffolk going a step forward introduced the Microbead-Free Waters Act.
The main concern is, because of the size of the beads it can not be apprehended by water plants during oxidizing process and like already mentioned it is not degradable. It also carries a risk of toxic materials sticking to it then eaten by the fishes and end up in the food supply. If this new legislation passes then manufacturers have time till 2015 to phase out microbeads in their products. Few companies including Unilever has already pledged to remove and replace microbeads with natural exfoliants like salt and walnut pieces.
So from the environmental point of view, will you look for products that don’t use microbeads already?
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