A Closer Look into Banning the Microbead

http://www.unep.org/gpa/gpml/BeattheMicrobeadProject.asp

Many face and body washes feature microbeads that gently exfoliate the skin to leave it smooth and healthy. These beads may be good for the skin, but they are a threat to the Great Lakes, marine life, and potentially our health. This every scientist and journalist agrees with, and many say that the polyethylene plastic that the beads are made out of, is the cause of the pollution. It is true that the beads are creating extra pollutant, however, it is not the beads themselves that are causing the poisoning of marine life. It is the fact that the beads absorb toxic chemicals that already reside in the water. Therefor, when they are ingested they poison the organism that eats them (Elkin). In summary, the plastic beads do pollute the lakes, but they solely do not harm marine life or humans. However, something still must me done about the poisoning of organisms and pollution of the Great Lakes, which is why society has targeted the microbeads. It is the easiest and fastest way to keep the aquatic organisms from being poisoned.

The Great Lakes are an important landmark of the United States. They are marveled at for their beauty and mass size. Sadly, the microbeads are working on altering the lakes forever. Plastic has been an issue with pollution for a long time. It does not break down very well or fast, and when it does is releases harmful chemicals. So since these microbeads are made of plastic, it is only obvious that they are polluting these gorgeous lakes. The microbeads do even more damage than a milk jug or a plastic bag. This is because they are so small, that they get past the water treatment plants. And unlike a milk jug or plastic bag, you can not easily come across a less than 5 millimeters size microbead in a lake and remove it from the water, much less most or even all of them (Beat the Microbead). That makes their potential to harm the environment even greater than anything else. So, since the plastic is what is harming the lakes, the scientists and journalists have it right. The microbeads themselves are what is harming the Great Lakes.

Litter in the environment is a big cause of death in animals, especially marine animals. Plastic bags resemble jellyfish when they are in the water, which causes sea turtles to mistake the bag for their common food choice, ultimately causing death. The ringed plastic used to hold together sport drinks are just big enough so a bird can fit its head through, and just small enough so that it chokes to death while trying to free itself from it. All of these deaths are direct causes of the plastic. Many scientists say that the polyethylene beads have the same effect when organisms mistake them for fish eggs, and ingest them. However this has been found false. The reason why the microbeads are so toxic is because while they are in the water, they absorb all of the toxic chemicals that already reside in the water (Elkin). This being said, the microbeads only aid in poisoning whatever eats them. Unlike the plastic bag and ringed plastic, the microbeads are not the direct cause for harming marine life, instead it is the chemicals that are ultimately the cause for the poisoning.

Humans consume an average of 4.833 billion pounds of fish a year. If the fish that have been feeding on the microbeads are among the billions that we are consuming, the effect on our bodies could be just as worse as those on fish, maybe worse. However, this has not been confirmed. Environmentalists are quick to jump to the conclusion that the chemicals are transferred from organism to organism through the food chain poisoning every predator that consumed prey that has been feeding on the microbeads, including humans. Research is still being done to determine if the transfer of the chemicals reigns true, and also if the effects are maximized or minimized as it moves up. So even though our health may not be affected by the microbeads, some of our everyday activities may be. A fisherman’s income may be affected if the fish die from being poisoned, which would affect restaurant owners that sell fish. The fish would become more expensive if they are becoming scarce because of the poisoning. So, even if research shows that humans are not directly harmed from consuming fish that have ingesting polyethylene beads, we are still affected in other ways.

Environmentalists, journalists, and scientists have put all of the blame on the polyethylene microbeads that are in face, body, and handwashes. However, it is not the beads that are causing the damage. It is easier to put the responsibility on their products rather than the real cause, chemical pollution. There would be faster results from pressuring cosmetic companies to ban their ingredients because of pollution as opposed to pressuring power plants to reduce their wastes and car companies to only make electric vehicles. This is unfair to the cosmetic companies. They add microbeads to their products because they exfoliate the skin, leaving it soft and clean. The reason why these beads are made of polyethylene is because it is cheap, and can be made quickly and in large quantities (Adams). Even though the beads are not causing the fatal blows to the environment, they are slowly being forced to remove them from their products.

I believe that the ultimate solution to this problem, would be to eliminate chemical pollution all together, but it is nearly impossible to make this happen. So, sadly the easiest and fastest way to keep the marine life, the Great Lakes, and humans healthy, is to keep polyethylene microbeads out of the environment. This can only be done by the cosmetic companies no longer having microbeads as an ingredient, or the government creating a law that prohibits the use of polyethylene microbeads in beauty products. From how things are progressing, both of these may be put into effect (Beat the Microbead). 

http://saferchemicals.org/get-the-facts/hazardous-100-chemicals-detected-in-the-great-lakes/

Works Cited:

Elkin, Alison. "Plastic Microbeads From Body Wash Are Contaminating Lakes." Vice News. N.p., 31 Aug. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2016. <https://news.vice.com/article/plastic-microbeads-from-body-wash-are-contaminating-the-great-lakes>.

Worland, Justin. “The face wash ingredient in your fish.” Time. TIME.com, 15 Sept. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.

Adams, Rebecca. “How Your Face Wash Could Be Poisoning Our Water.” Huffington PostThe Huffington Post, 20 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.

"INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST MICROBEADS IN COSMETICS." Beat the Microbead. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2016. <http://www.beatthemicrobead.org/en/>.