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1 1 (August 11, 2016)

handle is hein.crs/govceup0001 and id is 1 raw text is: ~~k\ %~cnc)'n~S$W~flas riE SE .$rCh &~ ~ ~ August 11, 2016 Microbeads: An Emerging Water Quality Issue For decades, water quality professionals have faced the challenge of controlling a variety of conventional and nonconventional pollutants (e.g., nutrients and suspended solids; oil and grease) and toxic chemical compounds that can harm aquatic life in lakes, streams, and coastal waters, as well as public health. Microplastics, plastic fragments that measure less than 5 millimeters (mm) in size (0.2 inches), are contaminants of recent and growing concern. Microplastic is ubiquitous and persistent in the environment. It has been reported in marine and coastal waters and many freshwater lakes and rivers worldwide, as well as on beaches and in sediments: a 2014 study estimated that 5.25 trillion plastic particles weighing nearly 270,000 tons are floating on seas globally. One source of microplastic pollution has received attention: microbeads, which are a subset of the contamination problem (probably less than 10% by volume). A number of companies are voluntarily removing microbeads from their consumer products, and nine states passed laws to ban manufacture and sale of products with microbeads. In December 2015, Congress passed legislation, the Microbead-Free Waters Act (P.L. 114-114 ), to ban manufacture and distribution of cosmetic products that contain microbeads in the United States. Most microplastic debris results from the breakdown of items such as plastic bottles and bags, synthetic clothing fibers, and boat paint particles, in addition to personal care products. In the aquatic environment, marine mammals, birds, and fish and shellfish cannot distinguish microplastics from food. Once in the food chain, particles may threaten aquatic life and public health, but risks- particularly for humans-are not well understood. The particles themselves may contain toxins. Additionally, microplastic fragments can act like sponges, adsorbing persistent organic pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are harmful to organisms that consume them. Microplastics show minimal biological degradation. Particles may remain in the environment for a long time and travel a long way from the point of origin, continuously releasing toxic substances that may result in long-term harm to biological diversity and ecosystems. Microbeads are synthetic polymers such as polyethylene or polypropylene plastic. They are used as abrasives and exfoliants in hundreds of consumer and personal care products such as facial scrubs, shampoos and soaps, lip gloss, deodorants, and toothpaste. The particles are tiny- from 5 micrometers (pm) to 1 mm in diameter (the latter is about the size of the period on a printed page; see Figure 1). A single product can contain hundreds of thousands of microbeads. Figure I. Plastic Microbeads Source: http://www.nationotchange.org/2U 15 11 U/I U/calitornia-passes- nations-strongest-ban-on-plastic-microbeads/. In most cases, microbeads are intended to be washed down the drain after use and end up in the municipal sewer system. Because microbeads are so small, most wastewater treatment technology is not capable of filtering or removing them completely from the wastestream. Most microbeads do not biodegrade, as they require high-heat processing to break down, which municipal sewage treatment systems typically are unable to do. As a result, particles pass through the plant and are discharged into nearby waters. A 2015 report by the New York State Attorney General's Office found microbeads in effluent samples from 25 of 34 wastewater treatment plants studied, concluding that microbeads likely are being discharged at the majority of treatment plants operating across New York State. Particles that subsequently enter water supply systems are not removed by drinking water treatment technologies. A growing body of research reports microplastic contamination throughout the marine food web, ranging from zooplankton and invertebrates to species such as bluefin tuna that are consumed by humans. Recent studies have drawn attention to concentrations of plastic particles in freshwaters, such as the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, at greater concentrations than in ocean waters. In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey began a study of microplastics in rivers, sampling 29 Great Lakes tributaries across six states. Other research of Great Lakes waters suggests concentrations of more than one million bits of microplastic per square mile in some parts of the lakes' surfaces. Microbeads occurred in more than 60% of the samples. Consumer and advocacy groups began campaigns in 2013 urging that products containing microbeads be redesigned to incorporate less problematic constituents. Some groups maintain lists of products that contain microbeads and urge consumers to seek out alternatives. In response, companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, and Procter & }i {{: g'3; 7 c . '.-; . 5. g? (. !L p\w -- , gn'a', goo mppm qq\ a , q 'S I 11LIANJILiN,

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