SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Some personal care products, such as shower gels, soaps, shampoo, facial scrubs and toothpastes, are formulated with plastic microbeads. The colorful particles, made usually from polyethylene (but sometimes from nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate or polymethyl methacrylate), serve as abrasives and add visual appeal to the products. Unfortunately, they are small enough to pass through sewage treatment plants into waterways and oceans, where they can persist. In the aquatic environment, the microbeads can absorb other pollutants and can be ingested by animals, resulting in an increase in the amount of those pollutants in the food chain.
Under the proposed legislation, called the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, manufacturing could continue until July 1, 2017 and sales would be phased out from 2018 through 2019. The House bill was sponsored by Republican Fred Upton of Michigan and Democrat Frank Pallone, Jr. of New Jersey. A similar bill is under consideration in the Senate.
- The Guardian
- press release from Consumer Healthcare Products Association, a manufacturers' group
- Detroit News
- The Hill blog
- Consumerist
- Smithsonian
- Center for Effective Government
- TreeHugger
In July, the International Campaign Against Microbeads in Cosmetics has made a list of products which contained microbeads.
(Score: 1) by TheReaperD on Saturday December 12 2015, @09:55PM
The problem is that there is no one to do anything about that, assuming it is happening (it wouldn't shock me). Like the toxic waste that was dumped by ships registered to countries in the EU off the coast of Somalia, it was seen by US warships but, they had no authority to do anything. It was the responsibility of the non-existent Somali government to intercept them or a government ship from the country of registry (which was nowhere near the region). Any other country interfering with a ship that is not their registry and not within their coastal waters is, at best, an international incident, at worst, an act of war. We're dealing with centuries old maritime law that is badly needed of a modern update but, no one wants to touch it with a 10,000 meter pole.
Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit
(Score: 2) by Gravis on Sunday December 13 2015, @06:07AM
We're dealing with centuries old maritime law that is badly needed of a modern update but, no one wants to touch it with a 10,000 meter pole.
the laws of nature predate supersede the laws of man. it's survival of the fittest, no authority needed.