Microbeads labeled “toxic” as Canada prepares to ban the tiny plastic polluters
Ontario Streams collects micro plastics from Lake Ontario, near Toronto. 2015.
Worried about the tiny plastic particles in your toothpaste and soap that are wreaking havoc on fish and water?
You can breathe a little easier today, with news that the Government of Canada has officially labelled microbeads “toxic” under federal law.
This label was the first step in the official process to ban microbeads in Canada. The ban will apply to cleansers and cosmetic products.
Those tiny exfoliators, scrubbers, and polishers that marketers loved have been polluting waters around the world since their popularity soared a few years ago.
The plastic beads are so small that most sewage treatment plants can’t filter them out, so they flow into the water. They fill up fish bellies or they soak up other contaminants in the water, making it hard for fish and wildlife to survive.
The ban on microbeads is a step towards elimination of plastic pollution. Plastic debris now accounts for 80% of all waste in the Great Lakes, making plastics one of the greatest threats to our homewaters.
