Environmental group Ottawa Riverkeeper applauds a new ban on cosmetic and toiletry products containing microbeads, but warns that plenty of other plastic products are appearing in water samples. Jesse VermaineWilderness on one side and city skyline on the other, the Ottawa River allows the beauty and history of the nation’s capital to coexist.
But in the depths of the river, millions of plastic particles rest; tiny pieces coming from local sinks, showers and shorelines that are accumulating at a rapid rate.
They’re so small their environmental footprint may seem trivial, but scientists and researchers know their impact is severe and rapidly increasing — and the federal government has decided to take action.
The government recently announced that all cosmetic and toiletry products containing so-called microbeads will be banned from Canadian shelves as of July 1, 2018, preventing further contamination of the country’s aquatic ecosystems.
Meredith Brown and her team at the Ottawa Riverkeeper, an environmental group, work toward restoration and protection of the city’s principal water source.
The government’s planned banning of microbeads has put a victorious smile on Brown’s face.
“We have been pushing the government to do this for so long, so we are all really happy,” Brown said.
“Unfortunately, this is a little bit of just the tip of the iceberg. Even areas in the river we thought were in pristine condition, plastics were still in every sample.
There is still a lot more work to do to protect the water from plastic pollution.”
Other plastic fibres have been discovered in the Ottawa River, coming from different clothing materials and through the breakdown process of larger plastics. These bigger plastic materials and prescription medications containing plastic fibres are not incorporated in the ban effective in 2018, and will continue to contaminate Canada’s water.
Brown said it is easy to predict what is going to happen if the microplastic contamination continues to accumulate in the Ottawa River.
“From the research that is happening around the world, it is pretty easy to bring it back to Ottawa. These plastics impact the aquatic environment. The fish will eat them, pollutants can adhere to them, and then the fish and water become toxic,” Brown said.
“Most of our drinking water comes from the Ottawa River, and these tiny particles are not filtered out, or can’t be. It all comes full circle back to us, and they are probably already in a lot of us.”
Microbeads can be found in body and face wash, toothpastes, soaps and other cosmetic products.
Although critics say there is no legitimate reason for them to be used, the grainy, plastic texture provides a feel-good, exfoliant effect for consumers.
According to Muhannad Malas, the toxic program co-ordinator at Environmental Defence Canada, one bottle of body wash can contain over 100,000 microbeads.
“This ban is going to help prevent a huge number of microbeads from entering our waterways, although a shorter timeline would be more protective,” Malas said.
“The government is open to receive comments and suggestions from the public on the proposed ban. Concerned Canadians can comment on the ban to call for a shorter implementation timeline.”
Canadian firms such as the Green Beaver Company and Rocky Mountain use natural and environmentally-friendly alternatives to replicate the exfoliant texture that microbeads provide.
Canadian firms such as the Green Beaver Company and Rocky Mountain use natural and environmentally-friendly alternatives to replicate the exfoliant texture that microbeads provide.
“It is really important to find a brand you can trust is using natural products and doing things as responsibly as possible,” said Brown. “Using these products before waiting for the government to ban harmful products is always a good start.”
Alain Ménard, co-founder and CEO of Green Beaver, also hopes companies and customers will stop using these products, even before the ban is enacted.
“Microbeads will remain in our ecosystem for years beyond 2018,” Ménard said. “We need to be more concerned about what we release in our environment now, because a lot of it will come back to us one way or the other.”
Ménard’s team at Green Beaver works to raise awareness of how many toxic chemicals are in everyday products, the consequences they have and how the public can minimize the damage they cause.
“It has to start with knowledge,” Ménard said. “How many Canadians knew that they were brushing their teeth with plastic? Not many, I’m sure. They need to know about the products they are using, and companies need to be responsible and remove (microbeads) from their products before the deadline.”
White Cross Pharmacy on Elgin Street, Herb & Spice and Nature’s Care on Bank Street are just a few locations you can find plastic-free cosmetics in Centretown.