What is Microbeads Products

Microbeads are microscopic Plastic pieces with any form and are vastly used in the production of cosmetics – primarily for exfoliants and toothpaste. Polyethylene is the most common chemical material of which microbead products are made of. Some of the alternatives are other petrochemical-based products such as polystyrene or polypropylene.

The word “micro” speaks for itself better than ever. You can even describe these tiny plastics as almost invisible for the naked eye as their sizes varies from 10 micrometres to 1 millimetre. The real harmful qualities of the microbeads are revealed when they are disposed in waste waters and, unfortunately, when that happens they go into the stream in huge numbers. A single box of exfoliant contains about 300 000 microbead particles.

When the microscopic beads get to the sewage treatment facilities, there is nothing there that can possibly filtrate them, therefore, their unstoppable journey to the ecosystem continues and the team from Rubbish Please is highly concerned of this fact.

Why Microbeads Products Are Harmful For the Environment ?

After digging deeper into the concept of plastic particle pollution  for a while, a person who is familiar with terms like The Pacific Garbage Patch, realizes that what have lead to its formation is nothing compared to what will make it even more deadly. Microplastics are able to preserve their form for over 50 years in the water while rapidly stack and form a vicious cloud which exterminates most living organisms on its way. In 2013 in Lake Erie a research estimated that there are 1.7 million pieces of microbeads per square kilometre in the lake, turning it one of the biggest victims of humanity’s latest plastic weapon.

Plastic Fertilizers ?

Hard to believe but about 808 trillion microbead pieces are washed down the drain every day in the United States. 99 percent of these particles are get into the sludge which is afterwards used as a fertilizer that is supposed to stimulate plant growth but instead helps the beds to contaminate the land.

What About The Plankton ?

The zooplankton and phytoplankton are also suffering from the microbeads products.  When mixed with it, it’s impossible for the marine life to spot the difference and consumes all of it, including the beads which are able to absorb any toxins they make contact with, some being thousand times more harmful than the water.

Toxic sponges

When discarded microbeads form a cloud it spreads effectively all over rivers and oceans exposing itself to marine worms. The worms, unfortunately, consume the plastic beads and all the toxins that go with it, turning the living organisms into living poisons. The fish is unaware of this and feast on the toxic worms, making the

The Microbeads-based Goods You Don ‘t Need

Contrary to your believes, products that contain the tiny killers are easy to spot once you pay more attention to the label at the back of any packaging when you dive into the depths of your local supermarket. Just focus on finding keywords such as polypropylene, polyethylene and basically, any poly-thing that can be possibly lurking into the tube you’re holding.

Exfolliants

Yes, the exfoliating effect and the feeling of minute soft plastic pieces on your face, gently scrubbing the dead skin down, massaging you pleasantly is a semi-orgasmic sensation is seductive but you have to resist. A moment of pleasure is not worth the consequences which will come once you wash your face off the microbeads with water. You better use alternative methods of exfoliation instead of contributing to the torture of marine life and people. The State of Illinois has come to the same conclusion and as a result, became the first U.S. state to ban microbeads and cosmetics manufacturing giants agreed to start looking forward into using more natural products – finally an act of corporate social responsibility.

Toothpaste

Hard to face the facts but plastic has been used in toothpaste production for a long time. The material of which plastic bottles are made of is used to add colour to some toothpaste products. The microbeads inside, though, function as particles that will get to anywhere in your mouth, removing the leftovers and the plaque more efficiently.

Crest – a leader in the toothpaste manufacturing has made an official announcement that most of their products are now microbeads-free. You can see the full list in their answer to an FAQ and find out for yourself what to look for and what to skip when going to the local store.

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