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Mitigation Approaches to Prevent Microplastics Effects in the Aquatic Environment: Exploration of Microbeads from Personal Care and Cosmetic Products
Summary
Plastic microbeads from personal care and cosmetic products pass through wastewater treatment largely intact, persist in the environment, and interact with other pollutants, while regulatory bans in some countries have not fully eliminated their occurrence in aquatic systems. Developing biodegradable polymer alternatives for cosmetic applications and improving coupled analytical detection systems are identified as key strategies for reducing this direct and preventable source of microplastic contamination.
Plastic microbeads are inevitably released into the aqueous environment and easily enriched in wastewater treatment processes. They are commonly used in personal care and cosmetic products as abrasive agents. Different countries have imposed regulations on the use or incorporation of microbeads in personal care products, but these are not fully eliminated as they are still detected in the environment. This review evaluates microbeads detection in aqueous and solid phase. Issues associated with contradictory quantification of microbeads by traditional analytical techniques and implications of using coupled systems are discussed. It further explains recent advances on their dispersal and interaction with other pollutants in the environment and complications of isolation in sewage sludge. The review also elaborates on methods that can be considered to modify polyolefins used in cosmetic products to degradable polymers after use and the mechanism involved. However, this should be more sensible because it entails transdermal delivery of cosmetic components and any form of irritation must be always avoided.