Plastic is plaguing our environment. It comes in all sizes and forms, but the smallest types are called microplastic. Microplastic is defined as “extremely small pieces of plastic debris in the environment resulting from the disposal and breakdown of consumer products and industrial waste.” (US Department of Commerce)

We know that microplastic comes from various sources such as large plastic debris that breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces of plastic. Microbeads are a type of microplastic that is very tiny polyethylene plastic manufactured for beauty and health products as an exfoliant. Microbeads are so small that they easily pass through water filtration systems and end up in the ocean, causing a potential threat to ocean life.

The issues with microbeads aren’t new. These products have been appearing in beauty products for over fifty years now, due to natural ingredients being replaced with plastic. The issue with microbeads is still relatively unknown. It wasn’t until 2012 that consumers and companies began to learn about the dangers of microbeads. There currently is not a lot of information on microplastics or how they impact the environment but hopefully that can change with the rise of awareness around this issue. With Former President Barack Obama signing the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, which effectively banned plastic microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products, we can expect to see a decline in microplastic damaging our environment.

US Department of Commerce, N. O. and A. A. (n.d.). What are microplastics? Retrieved March 26, 2018, from https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html