[Pharmwaste] Microbead ban signed by President Obama

[DeBiasi, Deborah (DEQ)]

http://cnnphilippines.com/lifestyle/2016/01/02/miccrobead-ban-signed-by-us-president-barack-obama.html

Microbead ban signed by President Obama
By Jareen Imam, CNN
Updated 15:19 PM PHT Sat, January 2, 2016
[http://cnnphilippines.com/incoming/atbi1w-Microbeads_CNNPH.png/alternates/FREE_768/Microbeads_CNNPH.png]
The tiny plastic microbeads found in your exfoliating shower gel are now outlawed in the United States.
Highlights

  *   President Obama signs a bill banning an ingredient in exfoliating shower gels
  *   Microbeads are tiny particles of plastic that do not dissolve
(CNN) - Say goodbye to your exfoliating shower gel.
Those tiny plastic microbeads you have been rubbing on your face are now outlawed in the United States.
President Obama<https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/12/28/statement-press-secretary-hr-1321-s-2425> signed a bipartisan bill that prohibits selling and distributing products containing microbeads. The bill is intended to protect the nation's waterways<https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr1321>.
A microbead is any solid plastic particle that is less than 5 millimeters and is used for the purpose of exfoliating or cleansing, according to the bill.
These tiny plastic beads have become ubiquitous in hundreds of products ranging from body scrubs to toothpastes<http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/19/us/8-trillion-microbeads-pollute-water-daily-irpt/>. They provide an exfoliating sensation for users and are designed to wash down drains.
But because they are made of plastic, microbeads do not dissolve and may pose a threat to the environment.
In September, a study published in Environmental Science & Technology<http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1021/acs.est.5b03909> reported that more than 8 trillion microbeads were entering the country's aquatic habitats daily. The volume was enough to coat the surface of 300 tennis courts every day.
Microbeads have contributed to a greater increase in microplastic polluting the planet's oceans and lakes, researchers say.
Not only are they hard to clean up because they are about the size of a pinhead, researchers say they are also posing a threat to aquatic life.
Some marine life mistake small plastic as food particles. Scientists are researching whether microplastics affect the health of marine life once ingested and if chemicals transfer to humans who eat those species later, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration<http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/types-and-sources-solutions/states-consider-plastic-microbead-bans>.
This story was first published on CNN.com, "Microbead ban signed by President Obama<http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/30/health/obama-bans-microbeads/index.html?sr=fbCNN123115obama-bans-microbeads/0926PMStoryLink&linkId=20021370>."

Deborah L. DeBiasi
Email:   Deborah.DeBiasi at deq.virginia.gov<mailto:Deborah.DeBiasi at deq.virginia.gov>
WEB site address:  www.deq.virginia.gov<http://www.deq.virginia.gov/>
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Office of Water Permits
Industrial Pretreatment/Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) Program
PPCPs, EDCs, and Microconstituents
http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/PermittingCompliance/PollutionDischargeElimination/Microconstituents.aspx
Mail:          P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA  23218
Location:  629 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA  23219
PH:         804-698-4028      FAX:      804-698-4032

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