Microbeads: A New Threat

   As society is changing, new threats are being posed to our environment.  With the creation of new materials come new problems on how to dispose of them.  One material that has been causing issues within the past couple of years are plastic microbeads. These microbeads are commonly used in facial products and range in size from 0.0004 to 1.24 millimeters.  The beads are so small that they make it through water filtration systems and end up in natural water sources. 
   According to an article on NPR, researcher Sherri Mason claims that "her testing found, on average, 17,000 bits of tiny plastic items per square kilometer in Lake Michigan." The article also states, the reason this is an issue is because plastic acts as a sponge and absorbs many toxins. Fish mistake the beads for food and eat them causing the toxins to enter the food cycle.
   Many states are banning the use of microbeads and companies are discontinuing the use of the beads in there products. Instead, consumers should use products with bead alternatives.