You'll often hear people talk about how plastic breaks down, but the truth is it breaks up... it breaks up into tiny pieces of plastic that pollute the ocean without you clearly noticing it at first glance. These pieces of plastic are called 'microplastics'. They are typically 5mm or less in size and are wreaking havoc on the ocean, causing harm to the marine life within it.
Microplastics can come from many places, it's not just the break up of larger plastic items left adrift in the ocean. For example, they can come from beauty and personal products, yes, that's right... they can be found in your skincare, body scrubs, makeup, nail polish, shampoo, and even toothpaste (which means in turn you could be ingesting these teeny pieces of plastic). These tiny pieces of plastic are often referred to as 'microbeads' and are typically made from polyethylene plastic. According to the United Nations Environment Programme microbeads appearing in cosmetics isn't a new thing... they were first used around 50 years ago, and since then, these plastics have become widespread in cosmetic and personal care formulations and have replaced natural options. The UNEP also state that 'microbeads and other plastic ingredients are present in different products at different percentages, ranging from less than 1% to more than 90% in some cases. For example, a typical exfoliating shower gel can contain roughly as much microplastic in the cosmetic formulation as is used to make the plastic packaging it comes in'.
A 2015 study published in Environmental Science & Technology by the American Chemical Society found that of the 808 trillion microbeads flushed into American sewer systems every day, 8 trillion microbeads make it past filtering and into the ocean. With this in mind, it's not a surprise we're seeing a rise in marine life with stomachs full of plastic after accidental ingestion.
But here's the thing, it's not just marine life that is ingesting these microplastics, we humans are too. According to a 2016 study, a third of UK caught fish and 83 per cent of UK caught scampi, both for human consumption contained plastic fragments. It is thought that the average person eats at least 50,000 particles of microplastic a year, these plastics ingested come from a mixture of sources, such as packaging, tap water, bottled water, beer, fish, shellfish, sugar, salt, and even in the air we breathe, just to name a few. Although it is unknown what the true health impact of ingesting microplastic is, but it is thought that they could release toxic substances. Research suggests that some pieces are small enough to penetrate human tissues, where they could trigger immune reactions.
Since 2015, huge efforts have gone into the removal of microplastics/beads from products after many campaigns over the recent years, and in June 2018 the UK banned the use of microplastics in cosmetic and personal care products. However, there are still many products containing them (or forms of them) worldwide. For more information on this visit Beat The Micro Bead to get the full lowdown.