The US Government Just Banned Microbeads in Personal Care Products

By: | January 6th, 2016

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The face scrubs, shower gels, and toothpastes that you use may contain tiny plastic particles known as “microbeads.” But these tiny microbeads make for big-time pollution.

When you scrub your face, wash your body, and brush your teeth, these microbeads do not dissolve. Instead, they enter into water systems where they pass through sewage treatment plants without being filtered out.

As per a study by Oregon State University, every day, as many as 8 million microbeads are being released into American waterways and aquatic ecosystems.

Once they enter the sea, they are consumed by fish and contaminate the whole food chain. As a result, humans are at risk of serious internal damage when these toxins end up in fish fillets or tuna on your plate.

Well, say goodbye to these hazardous exfoliants!

The United States government has just banned the use of plastic microbeads in personal care products. The House of Representatives approved a bill to ban the use of these particles starting in 2017.

We can now expect the use of safe and natural ingredients like apricot kernels, crushed walnut shells, and dried coconut as skin exfoliants.

Nidhi Goyal

Nidhi is a gold medalist Post Graduate in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.

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