September 5th, 2008 @ 8:53 am
Next time you see that commercial for Oil of Olay body wash with “spa exfoliating ribbons” or the Clean and Clear Daily Pore Cleanser or the Dove Gentle Exfoliating Foaming Facial Cleanser (or any of a number of other “big name” products) – think about this: those products use tiny spheres of plastic (polyethelene to be exact) to exfoliate your skin. So by using those products, people are sending those beads down the drain and into our groundwater – eventually making it to oceans and streams. We all know that there is way too much plastic that is ending up polluting our planet – so do we REALLY need to create more products that could be made using alternative, earth-friendly ingredients but instead choose non-biodegradable, pollutive plastic to further clog up our waters and poison our wildlife?
Check out the full article here: http://www.slate.com/id/2193693?nav=wp
Not really convinced that this could be a problem? Consider this – did you know that there are people that study SAND? According to a National Geographic article (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/05/0506_040506_oceanplastic.html):
“U.K. researchers in Plymouth and Southampton, England, found that microscopic fragments of nylon, polyester, and seven other types of plastic are widespread in sediments around British shores.”
The scientists said “We believe that these [fragments] probably represent only a small proportion of the microscopic plastic in the environment.”
According to the article there was “approximately three times more plastic in the water column in the 1990s compared with the 1960s.”
“Estimates for the longevity of plastic range from a hundred to a thousand years,” said the leading scientist “Since we’ve only been [mass producing] plastics for 40 years, we still don’t have a full handle on their longevity.”
Really – can these big brands at least make some ATTEMPT to do the right thing?
jenny
said,
September 9, 2008 at 5:05 am
Oh my, I didn’t know any of that. Not that I use those products anyways, but definitely good information to pass on to others that do!