2014年3月6日 09時53分 中日新聞 【ニューヨーク共同】
ニューヨーク州などは規制を検討。主要メーカーも使用を中止し、素材を変える方針を表明した。
日本の商品にも使われ、直径０・５ミリ以下で「マイクロビーズ」と呼ばれる。洗顔料や歯磨き剤に入れて、古い皮膚や汚れをこすり落とす効果がある。
問題に取り組む米市民団体「５ジャイアズ」によると、下水に流されると処理施設で回収しきれず川や湖沼に流れ込む危険が大きい。
Take Action — No More Plastic Micro-beads in Facial Scrubs!
myplasticfreelife.com/2013/06/take-action-no-more-plastic-micro-beads-in-facial-scrubs/
Six years ago, I posted a rant about the fact that many commercial facial scrubs contain tiny plastic (polyethylene) beads meant to exfoliate はぎ取る the skin.
These beads are too small for water treatment plants to filter out, so they end up in our waterways and eventually the ocean.
In the ocean, tiny plastic pieces mix with the zooplankton to enter the food chain.
What’s more, plastic in the ocean acts as a sponge, absorbing and concentrating toxic chemicals.
It’s one thing when plastic ends up there inadvertently, but it’s inexcusable for companies to produce plastic products intentionally meant to be flushed down the drain.
Now, it turns out, plastic particles aren’t just in facial scrubs, and they aren’t only made of polyethylene. According to a recent position paper (PDF) published this year by a coalition of ocean advocacy groups lead by 5Gyres:
Microplastic particles and microbeads can be found in facial scrubs, shampoos & soaps, toothpaste, eyeliners, lip gloss, deodorant and sunblock sticks.
These micro particles are made of Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and Nylon. PE and PP are the most common.
The paper is really informative. I highly recommend reading the whole thing.
Back when I wrote my original article, my main intention was to let people know which scrubs contained plastic and which ones didn’t, so readers of the post could make informed choices. I wanted people to stop buying this stuff.
But now, 5Gyres has spearheaded a campaign to urge companies to stop adding microplastics to their products, and they are succeeding！
Several companies have already committed to removing these ingredients and are looking for safer alternatives. But there are still others who have not yet signed on. Please visit the Beat the Micro Bead Campaign page for more information and to take action.