Search Here

On Monday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would create good cheer for environmentalists. Microbeads in objects such as soaps, body washes and toothpastes are now banned, according to The Guardian.

The bill, called the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, has gone to the Senate for approval.

It will usher in the ban on plastic microbeads in personal care products from July 1, 2017.

Microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic, just pinhead-sized. They can be used as common abrasives and may seem too tiny to be seen as dangers to the environment. Yet a study recently showed that 8 trillion microbeads released into U.S. waterways daily pollute large bodies of water.

As plastic microbeads are so tiny that they cannot be prevented by waste filtering systems, they tend to sink in huge water bodies, consumed by aquatic wildlife, would get stuck in their guts and kill them.

Researchers from the State University of New York reported in a 2013 study  that there is an estimated 1.7 million microbeads per square kilometer in Lake Erie, which is part of the Great Lakes.

"The Great Lakes have survived many a foe -- severe pollution, oil spills, discharge from refineries, zebra mussels, and attempts to steal our water, just to name a few," bill co-sponsor Congressman Fred Upton said, according to The Guardian. "We will fight any activity that puts our beloved Great Lakes in jeopardy."

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) appreciates that the Bill has been cleared by the Congress.

"I thank Congressmen Pallone and Upton for continuing to champion healthy waters through their successful support of the Microbead-Free Waters Act through the legislative process," John Calvelli, WCS Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, said. "Microbeads are highly damaging to the natural environment and the wildlife that live there. Because natural alternatives already exist, a ban on their use in personal care products makes perfect sense."