Leafy Thoughts: Microbeads to be Studied in Canada, Potentially Banned

Environment Canada is now studying the effects of microbeads on the environment and on wildlife. Typically made of plastic, microbeads are the tiny grains found in many cosmetic products, such as washes. scrubs, and toothpaste. Promising to give consumers exfoliated, supple skin or extra-white teeth, as well as adding visual appeal, these granular materials can have many uses and have therefore become very popular amongst consumers.

The beads get washed down the drain, into waterways, eventually accumulating in local water bodies such as lakes, rivers, and oceans. Sized at between 10 to 1000 microns, they mix in with household wastewater discharges and are often unable to be caught by typical filtering processes at wastewater treatment plants. Disturbing quantities of the tiny plastic grains have already been found in the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence River, where they sink into the sediment beds and reside for indefinite periods of time. Turning up in aquatic wildlife and human water supplies, the plastic beads are becoming an environmentally damaging issue that needs addressing.

The NDP has proposed that microbeads be classified as a toxic substance, allowing for federal and provincial control of their use. The findings of the study will contribute to the development of action plans, regulatory standards, and ultimately their ban in Canada. Canada will follow Illinois, New Jersey, and several other states who are considering similar bans, with many cosmetics companies pledging to phase them out of production. For the sake of vanity, other materials may be used instead of microbeads, including fine sand, ground-up stone, seeds, and microcrystalline wax.

Thus far, the Netherlands is the only country with a nation-wide ban on the beads, planning to be rid of them entirely by the end of this year. As a country with an abundance of the world’s fresh water, Canada should lead in the preservation of such a universally important resource. Cracking down on the use of microbeads is a huge step in reducing the creation of plastic soups in our lakes and rivers.