Are you saying brands like colgate are putting PLASTIC microbeads on toothpaste??? Like I mean thosr go into your mouth, that doesn't sound good D:
It seems that this is actually a bit of an outdated issue!! At least for Colgate, anyway. According to Colgate-Palmoliveās Policy on Ingredient Safety, theyāve stopped using microplastics in 2014 but continue to use ingredients that contain similar composition. Apparently, āmanyā of these ingredients ādissolve in water or biodegrade.āĀ
Crest actually seemed to have the most toothpastes that included plastic microbeads.Ā <= that link is to a blog by a dental hygenist, which according to one site sparked the conversation about microbeads in toothpastes. They donāt really hurt your mouth as far as I can tell, but dental hygenists finding bits of blue plastic in patientsā gums seems to be a common theme. (warning for pictures of irl teeth in the link)
Most of these articles are from 2014 or so, because environmental laws have been passed to ban microbead usage. I know the US has a microbead-free waters act, and the UK plans to enact something by the end of this year, 2017. So some products sold could contain microbeads. More of the well-known brands have tried to become environmentally friendly to avoid customer outcries.
If youāre concerned about plastics in your products (like face scrubs, toothpaste, usually products meant to be abrasive), you can check for these ingredients:
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)
These ingredients are considered by theĀ International Campaign Against Microplastic Ingredients in Cosmetics to beĀ āmicroplastic ingredients.ā Their Website is fairly up to date, and they have detailed product lists based on microbead ingredients.
They donāt really cause much harm to humans, because we donāt swallow toothpaste (only a little if any) or face scrubs. When they get washed down the drain, they end up in the ocean and then we find marine creatures with bits of plastic in their stomachs. It pollutes the ocean, so itās mostly an environmental issue more than a public health issue.
