When discussing the dangers of waste the environment most people focus exclusively on large items such as plastic bags or stray fishing nets.  However much smaller items can pose just as much of a threat.  Microbeads are small pieces of plastic that are often found in products such toothpaste or face wash where they are used as exfoliators.   The problem with microbeads is that because they are so small water filters are unable to prevent them from entering bodies of water.

Once microbeads enter a waterway they are often consumed by fish, birds, and turtles who mistake the beads for food (the microbeads especially bear a strong resemblance to fish eggs).  Once the beads are ingested they can quickly become a problem, causing ailments in fish and poising animals from the toxic chemicals they had picked up form the surrounding environment.  Those toxins could then be passed on to other animals higher in the food chain that consumed the animals that had ingested the microbeads.  This is even more dangerous due to the threat of biological magnification.  When an animal consumes a toxic substance and it is not digested, it accumulates inside of the animal, and the toxin becomes more and more concentration as organisms are consumed in the food chain.  Furthering the problem is the fact that beads are not biodegradable, and could be stuck in waterways for an incredibly long time.

Most organizations have recognized the danger that microbeads pose to the environment are working to find a solution.  Many state governments are attempting to come up with legislation to ban microbeads.  However, there are still problems.  Some of the bills would allow companies to use different, more biodegradable forms of plastics.  While some of these plastics are indeed biodegradable, they still pose a threat to wildlife.  For example polyactic acid can degrad more quickly than other plastics, but only under conditions not usually found in marine environments.  However, others are worried that too strict regulations could prevent possible solutions.  For example, a start up in California has developed an alternatives to microbeads made out of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) which is made naturally by bacteria and could dissolve in a month.  The founder of the startup, Molly Morse fears that the language of a bill in California would ban her product as well.  There are some other products that don’t use plastics at all and use items such as cocoa beans to serve the same purpose.  So when shopping for toothpaste or facial scrubs in the future, make an effort to avoid microbeads.

Sources:

http://time.com/4033917/facewash-microbeads-fish/

http://www.npr.org/2014/05/21/313157701/why-those-tiny-microbeads-in-soap-may-pose-problem-for-great-lakes

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/23/business/energy-environment/california-takes-step-to-ban-microbeads-used-in-soaps-and-creams.html?_r=0

http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/edu/learning/player/lesson13/l13la1.html