We all want clean teeth. And hey, if we could scrub off a few of those laugh lines, who wouldn't? But do you know what's in some of those drugstore products that say they will make your teeth whiter or your skin clearer? Microbeads — that abrasive, gritty stuff that is supposed to exfoliate your skin or polish your teeth. Now Canada has taken a bold step toward banning them. The microbeads, found in dozens of beauty products widely sold in the US as well, are actually tiny pieces of plastic.
Neutrogena advertises "energizing microbeads" in their foaming scrub.
Credit:
Steven Davy
Toothpastes, facial scrubs, body lotions, shower gels filled with tiny pieces of polyethylene. And the real problem created by these plastic beads is where they go after we rinse and spit. Microbeads end up in lakes, rivers and oceans — and that's got Canadian biologist Lisa Erdle worried. Erdle works for Ontario Streams, a conservation group based in Toronto. She's spent the
