What do all these products have in common?
One word: Microbeads.
After my last post, hopefully we are all slightly more aware of the magnitude of marine debris and plastics in the ocean. Unfortunately, the problem gets even scarier.
How many of these products do you use on a daily basis? How many people do you know who use these products? The answer is...too many.
Hell, most women receive at least a years' worth of Bath and Body Works products for Christmas gifts. But most of these gifts look like this:
This means that since they are so small, they act as fine sediments, and cannot be filtered very easily. Even worse, because they are plastic, they are unaffected by water treatment plants. This means that significant quantities of these tiny little particles are being flushed into our oceans.
Recent studies have found microbeads in river sediments, lakes, oceans, and a variety of organisms such as fish, crabs, and mussels all over the world.
The overwhelming number of microbeads in addition to the overall amount of degraded plastics in the environment is terrifying, and scientists have only just started to scratch the surface of their full impact on the ocean and marine wildlife.
Ban the beads!
Luckily, many places have already started to ban products with microbeads, but they are still very easy to obtain. For example, recent legislature in California has banned products with microbeads; however, it will not be in effect for another 4 years.
In the meantime, change your daily habits, and switch to more natural exfoliates, like oatmeal, coconut, almonds or whatever else tickles your fancy.
Five more devastating facts about plastics in our oceans:
- Plastics are extremely adhesive, and have been found to absorb pesticides and other runoff toxins and pollutants.
- Certain types of plastics can lump together on the surface to create biofilms that become a vector for species transport. This can potentially increase invasive species.
- Microplastics are so abundant on beaches, that they have been found to change the permeability of the sand. This affects the temperature of the sand, which in return can impact animals such as sea turtles that nest in the sand. This minuscule variation in temperature alter sex ratios, potentially causing more male hatchlings than females.
- A recent study shows that fish and bivalves (mussels/clams/oysters) purchased in supermarkets around the world (including California) contained microplastics
- Washing synthetic clothes can also release thousands of tiny microplastic particles. One study suggests that a single garment can release up to 1900 fibers per washing cycle. (However, only one study that I know of has shown this, and I am not sure of its magnitude in relation to other marine debris....I just thought it was and interesting tid bit to include).
Fendall and Sewell (2009). Contributing to marine pollution by washing your face: microplastics in facial cleaners.
Zitko and Hanlon (1991). Another source of pollution by plastics: skin cleaners with plastic scrubbers.
Castaneda et al. (2014). Microplastic pollution in St. Lawrence River Sediments
Eriksen et al (2013). Microplastic pollution in the surface waters of the Laurentian Great Lakes of the United States
Napper et al. (2015) Characterisation, quantity and sorptive properties of microplastics extracted from cosmetics.
McCormick et al. (2014) Microplastic is an abundant and distinct microbial habitat in an urban river.
http://pubs.acs.org.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/doi/abs/10.1021/es503610r
Wright et al. (2011) The physical impacts of microplastics on marine organisms: A review
http://www.sciencedirect.com.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0269749113001140%20-%20K%C3%B6rperliche%20Auswirkungen%20von%20Mikroplastik%20auf%20marine%20Organismen%20(engl.)
Cole et al. (2011) Microplastics as contaminants in the marine environment: a review
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X11005133
Wright et al. (2011) The physical impacts of microplastics on marine organisms: A review
http://www.sciencedirect.com.elibrary.jcu.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0269749113001140%20-%20K%C3%B6rperliche%20Auswirkungen%20von%20Mikroplastik%20auf%20marine%20Organismen%20(engl.)
Cole et al. (2011) Microplastics as contaminants in the marine environment: a review
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X11005133
