Microbead nuisance: Estimation of microplastic release into water bodies through personal care and cosmetic products

Microbeads in personal care and cosmetic products (PCCPs) such as facial scrubs and face washes are added to provide mechanical exfoliation while washing one’s face. Such abrasive scrub cleansers have gained global acceptance from consumers, some of these microbeads are made up of plastics. Plastic beads are used because of their round and smooth surfaces, which impart painless exfoliation. These microbeads in turn act as a primary source of microplastics (MP) in wastewater systems. Ten facewashes containing MP beads that are popularly available in the Indian market were analysed to detect the presence of microplastics. MP beads were found in 4 out of 10 facial scrubs and ranged in size from 220 to 600 µm. Based on the Fourier Transformed Infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR) analysis, the MP beads were made of cellophane, polyethylene (PE), or polypropylene (PP). India generates approximately 72,368 MLD of sewage of which about 60% is untreated. In India, it was estimated that 4.7 x 10¹⁰ microbeads are released into the environment through untreated sewage every year, which amounts to 3.8 tonnes of microbeads being released into the environment annually. The study indicates that massive annual release of MPs in the form of microbeads into the water bodies through facial scrubs and other similar personal care products is inevitable. These microplastic beads are small and can easily escape wastewater treatment systems. Hence, their presence in aquatic ecosystems can lead to the adsorption of contaminants and pollutants like heavy metals, synthetic organic compounds, and other pathogens. The microbeads along with the contaminants can potentially bio-accumulate and bio-magnify within different trophic levels, thus increasing the toxicity at each level.