How Do Microbeads Affect The Environment

On March 4, 2015, the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 was introduced to the United States House of Representatives. Sponsored by Democratic Representative of New Jersey Frank Pallone, the bill called to amend “the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to ban rinse-off cosmetics that contain synthetic plastic microbeads beginning on January 1, 2018” (congress.gov, H.R. 1321). The bill was then passed with amendments to it in the House in December, with Senate passing it a week later by unanimous consent. The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 is unlike a lot of bills that have attempted to pass through the House and the Senate because it did not face the all-too-common gridlock that one can expect nowadays from the United States Congress. Pallone said to the New York Times that although he was surprised by the quick success of the bill, it passed simply because it had a lot of support in the House and the Senate and did not have much opposition (New York Times).

Jellyfish can be seen in freshwater and saltwater inhabiting everywhere it goes. Some may see jellyfish depicted in media such as the television show “SpongeBob SquarePants” as a fun recreational sport of catching Jellyfish in butterfly nets. Though most may recognize the creatures as your worse nightmare on a beach and avoiding getting stung by them. However, researchers and explorers have found effects that jellyfish have on impacting the ecosystem and life style of others. These findings have shown a divide between the benefits and negative outcomes they have.

Lionfish are negative towards their environment. Lionfish are negatively effecting the environments of North Carolina. Lionfish are an invasive species that harm other creatures, their surroundings, and the overall environment. Lionfish have not been here for too long, but they have already caused a lot of problems in their new environments. Lionfish arrived in the United States around the 1990’s.

Corporations using microbeads in soaps are harming the Great Lakes because they slip through many water treatment plants going right down our drains. These microbeads are a major part of plastic pollution harming the Great Lakes and the world's oceans. Fish think these microbeads are food which ultimately ends up hurting the fish in one way or another. Knowing this Kathleen developed an all natural solution that is not only healthy for the environment but also healthy for humans. In her, all natural soaps Kathleen uses oatmeal instead of using the microbeads. Replacing the microbeads for oatmeal is a perfect example of how Soulful Earth Herbals is promoting a positive impact on life below water.

It is not just marine animals, from planktons to whales, which ingest microplastics. It can end up in humans when they eat seafood.

The problem topic being analyzed is the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 PL 114-114. The law discusses, in detail about, amending Section 301 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 331). It adds on to that law by putting in the following into an act, “To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the manufacture and introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce of rinse-off cosmetics containing intentionally-added plastic microbeads.” Microbeads are “any solid plastic particle that is less than 5 millimeters in size.” The reason behind banning the microbeads in “rinse-off cosmetics” is due to the fact that they are doing more harm than good, especially to the environment and our water across the U.S. The beads are continually adding plastic to the oceans causing toxins and problems for the marine environment. Microbeads are not only impacting the oceans, but the groups and people all over the world.

These two materials, in particular, are dangerous to local ecologies and populations. Thus, there is not only an identified need to reduce the use of these two materials, but also a need to increase recycling of these two materials.

and Europe manufactured approximately 5 million tons of products with BPA in 2015, says Science Daily. That's why researchers like Wayne recommend swapping plastic with glass as much as possible. But, hey, realistically we already know that plastic products aren't harmless: We're headed towards having more plastic, by weight, than fishes in our oceans by 2050. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/01/24/oceans-more-plastic-than-fish/79267192/ Not to mention, the effects that chemicals like BPA have on our wildlife and environment are largely unknown; a 2012 study suggests, "Due to its environmental ubiquity, organisms may be exposed to BPA chronically or during sensitive life stages," says Science Direct. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479712001405 Glass and these other good

Because of their size and prevalence microbeads are harmful for the environment and human health. To start off with, microbeads tearing apart our environment. One way microbeads are tearing apart our environment is by killing marine life. Microbeads absorb toxins that are transferred to fish tissue. The microbeads in the fish tissue are causing DNA damage in fish which leads to illness and even death.

The director of campaigns for pressure group The Story of Stuff Project, Stiv Wilson, described how microbeads are posing threat to wildlife, especially to those whose habitat is the water. Wilson stated, 'The smaller something is, the more animals can eat

Microbeads are international in Canada, United Stated of America, Europe, and Australia.The microbeads are made of plastic so it does not break down and pose threats to the environment and the nation’s waterways.When you wash polyethylene off with water, the water goes down the waterway carrying tiny bits of plastic ending up in the sea.They're less than a millimeter wide so water filters can not pick them up. Microbeads are a massive issue of marine litter which is causing real problems to marine life; they can cause plastic particle water pollution and pose an environmental hazard for aquatic animals in freshwater and ocean water.In Canada, microbeads were reported to be used when these products are used by consumers

Microbeads are just adding to all the other unnecessary plastic that is floating around in the ocean, on the side of the roads polluting and in the forests. They can be replaced by natural products for example a face scrub can use apricot seeds instead. Microbeads has many has harmful chemicals in them, if you accidentally swallow some toothpaste that contains microbeads it can become a health risk. “Scientists fear that chemicals in plastics and also chemicals which attach themselves to plastic in the natural environment could cause poisoning, infertility and genetic disruption in marine life, and potentially in humans if ingested in

Microbeads are tiny plastic particles, about the size of sand particles (< 2mm) that are made of substances such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethlyl methacrylate (PMMA) or nylon (see Appendix A). They are commonly found in many

You hear your alarm go off on a typical morning and jump in the shower. You start your daily routine in the shower; normal things, like washing your hair, brushing your teeth, destroying oceans, scrubbing your face-- Wait, what? How could you possibly be destroying oceans with something as insignificant as a morning shower? Almost every personal care item contains plastic in the form of microbeads, which are those little exfoliating pieces in your products. They’re so small and insignificant that everyone thinks they disintegrate or are filtered out after they go down the drain. That’s far from the truth. These, along with every other kind of plastic, are helping to ruin our oceans and the marine wildlife that lives

In the United States, there are many organisms which are much too small for a human to see with their naked eye, a microscope is needed to view them. These organisms are called microorganisms and can be very helpful in our environment, and even in our bodies. Some microorganisms however, can be extremely harmful, even fatal if a human comes in contact with them. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) one example of these harmful microorganisms is Pseudomonas Aeruginosa. P. aeruginosa causes over 51,000 infections in hospitals every year, and about 6,000 of those are infections caused by P. aeruginosa which is multidrug resistant (2013). A multidrug resistant P. aeruginosa is a serious threat and the CDC is working diligently to decrease infections and prevent them from occurring because this particular microorganism is resistant to almost all, or all antibiotics (CDC, 2013).