Congress passes bill to ban microbeads that pollute aquatic habitats

by Ceal Craig

Microbeads set against a penny for comparison of size. Photo courtesy 5 Gyres.

Yesterday, the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 passed both Congress and the Senate by unanimous consent, and was presented to the President for his signature.

Microbeads are tiny plastic beads that are added to consumer products such as body and face scrubs to enhance exfoliation and to produce a “feel good factor”. Microbeads wash down the drain, escape sewage treatment and enter our watersheds, lakes and oceans where they are eaten by marine life. A 2013 study found that plastic in the diet of marine life could negatively impact their health.

These destructive small particles first came to my attention at a reception for our Litterati.org exhibit earlier this spring held at the Environmental Education Center, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. I had no idea of their potential for destruction or impact until then.

Schematic diagram showing the route that microbeads take from our homes to the aquatic environment. Diagram courtesy American Chemical Society Environ. Sci. Technol. 2015, 49, 10759−10761.

A campaign led by 5 Gyres, a California-based not-for-profit organization along with Plastic Free Seas and Plastic Soup Foundation operating within a larger international coalition was successful in lobbying Congress to eliminate plastic micro-beads from personal care products.

A selection of consumer care products containing microbeads. Photo courtesy Citizens Campaign.

While other states banned the use of microbeads earlier, California did so in this year’s legislative session. Bill AB-888 Waste management: plastic microbeads passed on October 8, 2015 after failing in the 2014 legislative session. However, this latest Federal law takes the ban across the nation. Some companies like Unilver and L’Oreal have already committed to removing microbeads from their products. Either way, this is good news for our wildlife because it will help get them a cleaner aquatic habitat.

Fish mistake small pieces of plastic for food. Plastic microbeads can move up the food chain and may ultimately threaten public health. Photo courtesy Citizens Campaign.

Further Reading

* Ban on Microbeads Proves Easy to Pass Through Pipeline
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/23/science/ban-on-microbeads-proves-easy-...

* Don’t know what microbeads are? Find out here:
http://plasticfreeseas.org/microbeads.html

* Scientific Evidence Supports a Ban on Microbeads
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1021/acs.est.5b03909