Brushing with Beads

A daily ritual that cleans your teeth and keeps your breath fresh could be wreaking havoc on our waterways and ocean. Toothpaste and other products have started popping-up on store shelves containing microbeads, minuscule polyethylene ‘plastic’ beads. These beads are being advertised as exfoliants in skin care products. In the case of toothpaste they are used as an abrasive.

The problem is these plastic microbeads found in toothpaste do not dissolve before, during, or after their use. This can cause serious problems to your health, and our waterways. The health risks are due to the fact that a portion of the microbeads remains within the mouth and can become embedded underneath the gum line. Dentists around the country began to worry that these beads were causing more harm than good. During patient visits, dentists and hygienists found the microbeads stuck in crevices between the teeth and gums. This raised concerns because the beads could trap bacteria in the gums leading to gingivitis, and possibly overtime cause periodontal disease.

These beads are also polluting our waterways. Every time you brush your teeth, these tiny beads go down the drain and travel through sewers to a wastewater treatment plant. Due to their microscopic size, microbeads are far too small to be filtered by wastewater treatment facilities and as a result are discharged into waterways. A report released by the New York Attorney General’s office estimates that the state of New York discharges 19 tons of microbeads into its waterways annually!

This pollution caught the attention of advocacy groups and scientists, who have raised these concerns to elected officials. States, including New Jersey, began to tackle the issue by passing laws regulating microbeads. Federally, New Jersey’s Congressman Frank Pallone introduced the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, which prohibits the sale or distribution of rinse-off cosmetics containing plastic microbeads. This bill quickly passed the House of Representatives, unanimously passed the Senate, and was recently signed into law by President Obama in December 2015!

Although microbeads are banned for the future, products containing microbeads will remain on the shelf until 2017. Until then it is up to you to be a conscious shopper. Read the ingredients list on the box carefully, if you see polyethylene or polypropylene on the list of ingredients it means that product contains microbeads. Luckily, there are plenty of other natural alternatives to keep your breath fresh, your teeth white, and your waterways healthy. Happy brushing! 

Just Say No Litter-ally!

Look around you. Do you spot any plastic? We are surrounded by plastic, from plastic water bottles to plastic toys. It is hard to go a day without using something made out of plastic. What was once a breakthrough invention has now become a problem, both a big and microscopic.

A study done by 5 Gyres in December found that the ocean contains over 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic! This includes microplastics, pieces of plastic that are less than half a centimeter. This tremendous amount of plastic is polluting our environment, our waterways, and potential harming our health.

In a world littered and addicted to plastic, what do you do? It may seem over whelming, but there are plenty of ways to break this plastic addiction. Just like there is tons of plastic, there is lots of alternatives! We have gotten caught up in this use once and toss society, it is time to choose to reuse.

Here are a few items to help rid you of plastic addiction:

Water bottles. Did you know it takes three times the water to make the bottle as it does to fill it? The water bottle has become the staple item to use once and discard. A reusable water bottle, whether glass or aluminum, will help reduce plastic pollution, while also saving water and fossil fuels.

Plastic bags. Countries and states are putting in place plastic bag bans or fees to help reduce the amount of plastic bags used. This is for good reason since around 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year! These bags may seem convenient, but they are becoming dangerous to our environment, especially to animals and marine life. The alternatives are endless, from canvas bags to a bag once made out of plastic water bottles. There are big bags for grocery shopping or mini-bags to keep in your purse or pocket for a trip to the store.

Straws. In 2014 during our Spring & Fall Beach Sweeps, 18,372 straws and stirrers were picked up! A disposable straw on average is said to be used for a mere twenty minutes, while those coffee stirrers are used for a just a few seconds. Restaurants are starting to tackle this issue by issuing request only straw policies. When you dine out remember to ask your server to hold the straw. Also there are also plenty of reusable options for at home or at work including glass, stainless steel, and bamboo. Carry it with you to use.

Beauty. We all have heard the saying ‘it hurts to be beautiful’, however some beauty regimes are now inflicting pain on the planet. Microbeads, the tiny plastic beads found in face washes, body scrubs, and tooth paste, are ending up in our waterways. States, including New Jersey, are banning the use of microbeads. On a federal level, Congressman Pallone from New Jersey’s 6^th congressional district, introduced legislation, the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2014, in June of 2014, that would ban the use of these microbeads.. In 2015, Congressman Pallone, along with Congressman Fred Upton, reaffirmed his belief is this topic by introducing the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015.

While although the NJ microbead ban is a step in the right direction, it contains a loophole that would allow the personal care industry to incorporate "biodegradable" plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA).  PLA is able to disintegrate, however, only within municipal composting facilities in high heat environments. Microbeads are too tiny to be filtered within wastewater treatment plants so they'll still end up in our waterways and won't biodegrade since our waters don’t meet the heat requirements needed to degrade. It’s important for the public to understand the whole story and know how to properly advocate for such legislation.

In addition to legislation, companies are also banning the use of microbeads, such as Johnson & Johnson and Unilever. However, there are other companies, such as Aveda, who have never incorporated microbeads into their products. Longtime supporters of Clean Ocean Action, Aveda has continued to understand and support clean water initiatives.

These beads may ‘exfoliate’ your skin, but they are wreaking havoc in our waters. If you want to avoid using such products on your skin, look for polyethylene and polypropylene under the ingredients list. There are also plenty of other alternatives including DIY salt scrubs and body washes.

Clean Ocean Action works tirelessly to protect our ocean and marine life from plastic debris. We recently launched the first microplastics research study in New Jersey to document the scope and magnitude of microplastics on New Jersey beaches, waterways, coastline, and in marine life. Even with the Beach Sweeps and microplastics research it is still up to you to reduce your plastic pollution footprint! For more information please visit our website cleanoceanaction.org