Honors collegium class students present proposal to ban microbeads

A picture of brightly colored chemical tubes filled with microbeads reminded Jiwei Zhang that he rubbed those small plastic beads in his face for two years during junior high school.

But these photos were not advertising face washes that promised clearer pores or fresher skin. They were referring to the potentially toxic effects the tiny plastic beads found in many cosmetic products can have on the environment, a topic his class on ecological issues was studying.

A group of students from the honors collegium class Honors 41: “Understanding Ecology: Finding Interdisciplinary Solutions to Environmental Problems” presented a proposal to the Associated Students UCLA’s Services Committee on Friday calling for ASUCLA to phase out products with microbeads in its stores by the end of spring quarter.

If ASUCLA supports the motion, the UCLA Store in Ackerman Union and the Hill Top Shop would no longer sell microbead-containing products, said Qi Zhao, a fourth-year mathematics/economics student in the class.

Microbeads are small particles made of plastics like polyethylene and polypropylene that are put into face washes and toothpaste to act as exfoliators or whitening agents. Because they are so small – no larger than 5 millimeters in diameter – they can go straight down the drain and into the ocean, unfiltered by the sewage system.

Zhang, a third-year mathematics/economics student who helped create the proposal, said he thinks that until the products are phased out, they should be more thoroughly labeled and say what microbeads are and how they can damage the environment.

Several European countries have already banned microbeads, and companies like Target, Unilever and Crest have committed to phasing them out of their products in the next few years. California State Assemblyman Richard Bloom has also proposed a statewide ban on microbeads.

Microbeads can pose a threat to all levels of life dependent on a marine environment, including humans who consume fish, said Alison Lipman, a lecturer in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology and the course instructor.

Microbeads are not biodegradable, but they physically degrade into small particles that fish eat, mistaking them for plankton, she said.

“Those toxins leech into the fish and bioaccumulate up the food chain,” she said. “One plastic particle could be a million times more toxic than the water.”

She added that there are some natural alternatives to microbeads as an exfoliator, such as shards of almond and coconut shells or jojoba beads, that are comparable in price to products that use microbeads.

The class assignment paired the group of students with a nonprofit organization to work together on an environmental issue this quarter, said Lindsay Hoffman, a fourth-year physiological science student in the class.

The group chose to collaborate with 5 Gyres, a nonprofit based in Santa Monica that focuses on design and policy to reduce and eventually eliminate plastic pollution, because they were interested in their mission, said Candace Gregg, third-year anthropology student.

“It feels really good to be doing something that’s a little more tangible with our skills and our knowledge,” Gregg said. “This is a good opportunity to do something hands-on and critically problem solve … something that will really have an effect.”

Though the class ends this quarter, Hoffman said the group members hope their work will continue.

Students in the class recently reached out to environmental student organizations such as E3 and CALPIRG to see if they would take on the initiative after winter quarter ends, she added.

ASUCLA will vote on the proposal at their Financial Committee meeting on April 17.

Contributing reports by Edward Pedroza, Bruin contributor.