Plastic Microbeads
Plastic microbeads are tiny particles of plastic that are sometimes put in products like face and body scrubs, hand soaps and toothpastes. When they are washed down the drain, they often make their way out into the environment where they can remain in the water for long periods of time.
Recent studies have shown the small plastic particles are widespread in our waters, including in the Great Lakes. Once in the water, they can damage the aquatic ecosystem; for example, fish can mistake them for food. They also have the potential to kickstart the process of biomagnification of toxic chemicals in fish and other wildlife.
Key Points
- Plastic microbeads aren’t easily captured by water treatment systems and are not biodegradable, so they can get in our waters after being rinsed down drains and remain in the environment for long periods of time.[1]
- Recent research has shown that the Great Lakes are teeming with plastic microbeads, with higher concentrations nearer coastal cities.[2]
- A single bottle of microbead face scrub can contain over 300,000 plastic particles.[3]
- Consumers should avoid buying personal care products advertising plastic microbeads, as well as products containing the ingredients “polyethylene,” “polypropylene” or “polystyrene.”
Clean Wisconsin's Work
Plastic microbeads are a significant threat to our waters and aquatic ecosystems. Clean Wisconsin is working to reduce this threat, with an emphasis on preventing them from ever getting into waterways. We are pushing for legislation that would ban the production and sale of products containing plastic microbeads in Wisconsin.
Questions and Answers
Quick Facts
- Over 11,000 pounds of microbeads are used in Wisconsin each year.[15]
- Wisconsinites may be adding nearly 400 billion microbeads to the wastestream a year.[16]
- A single bottle of microbead face scrub can contain over 300,000 plastic particles[17]
- Microbeads can range in size from less than 10 micrometers (about the diameter of a red blood cell) up to a few millimeters (a millimeter is about the width of a credit card).
- Scientists have found microbeads in all the Great Lakes, [18] with densities higher near populated areas.[19]
- An average of 17,000 tiny pieces of plastic per square kilometer has been found in Lake Michigan.[20]
- Microbeads act like sponges, soaking up chemicals they come into contact with; plastic debris in the oceans has been found to accumulate pollutants such as PCBs up to 100,000 to 1 million times the levels in the water.[21]
- In the Great Lakes, over half of all microplastic particles found by researchers were in the shape of microbeads.[22]
Wisconsin Data, Trends, and Legislation
Cited Resources
Comments
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Please cite this resource as: Clean Wisconsin, Inc. “Plastic Microbeads.” Clean Wisconsin Enviropedia. Retrieved from www.cleanwisconsin.org/enviropedia.
Last updated: 2/27/2015