Photo: cleanbodiesofwater.org
Yes, they might be in your toothpaste, face wash, and spa-like exfoliant! Micro beads, tiny plastic particles that give that buffing component to your products and then marketed as making you squeaky clean, are rinsed off of your body, enter our waterways and end up in our oceans. “By the billions,” according to Rachel Abram’s research for the poignant article in the New York Times “Fighting Plastic Bead Pollution.”
“Once dispersed into the ocean, everything from plankton to whales is ingesting these plastics,” said Tanya Cox, Marine Plastics Officer with Fauna and Flora International (FFI). “In the water, they attract persistent environmental toxins, such as DDT, which work their way up the food chain until they are ultimately consumed by humans. All of a sudden, this not only becomes a pressing environmental issue but one that could directly affect humans.”
photo: savethewater.org
So, what can you do? Start by saying no to single use plastic and by making sure that your special products don’t include the plastic ingredients that are polluting you and our oceans.
“Checking really is easier than it sounds,” according to the special “Good Scrub Guide” produced by FFI and its partners, Surfrider International and Marine Conservation Society. “Just take a peek at the ingredient list on the back of your product. polyethylene and polypropylene are the two main types of plastic to look out for. To be on the safe side, also check the product is free from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and nylon and you’re good to go.” Still wondering? Check out the “Good Scrub Guide” or put the “Beat the Microbead” app on your smartphone. Choose well, we only have one ocean and one you!
Download the “Good Scrub Guide” and find the “Beat the Microbead” app here.
