In a published in Environmental Science & Technology, researchers say that the microbeads found in many of your toothpastes, soaps, face washes and cleaning products have been contributing to the major plastic pollution in oceans, lakes and other aquatic habitats.

Microbeads are tiny bits of plastic smaller than 5 mm, . Because they are designed to wash down drains, it's difficult to clean them up on a large scale. such as polyethylene, polylactic acid and polypropylene, microbes are used as a replacement for natural exfoliation materials like pumice and oatmeal.

NOAAreports that the plastics never really go away because they can last decades, fragmenting over and over again into smaller pieces. Currently, there’s an unknown amount of microplastic in our environment, but they are appearing everywhere, .

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“We’re facing a plastic crisis and don’t even know it,” , co-author of the study and David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow at Oregon State University. “Part of this problem can now start with brushing your teeth in the morning. Contaminants like these microbeads are not something our wastewater treatment plants were built to handle, and the overall amount of contamination is huge. The microbeads are very durable.”

that researchers have estimated 8 trillion microbeads per day are being released into aquatic habitats in the U.S. wind up in sludge from sewage plants and are then spread over areas of land, usually via runoff which finds its way into streams and oceans.

A microbead found in Kittery, Maine.

(Rozalia Project)

Some marine life species tend to mistake the microbeads for food, . Scientists are currently examining how themicroplastics are affecting them once ingested and whether the chemicals in them can be that may consume the marine life later on.

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“We’ve demonstrated in previous studies that microplastic of the same type, size and shape as many microbeads can transfer contaminants to animals and cause toxic effects,” , lead author of the study and David H. Smith Conservation Research Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Davis. “We argue that the scientific evidence regarding microplastic supports legislation calling for a removal of plastic microbeads from personal care products.”

, companies such as The Body Shop, IKEA, Target, L’Oreal, Colgate and Johnson & Johnson have pledged to remove microbeads from their “rinse-off personal care products.” In June 2014, Illinois became the first state to ban the production, manufacture and sale of products that had microbeads in them, . Several states such as Connecticut, New Jersey and Colorado have also .

Despite the fact that they contribute to the larger issue of plastic debris being found in oceans and other aquatic habitats, . Researchers claim that a ban on their use from products that later enter wastewater is the best method of protecting water quality, .

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, the researchers bring attention to the fact that some of the bans have strategic wording that creates loopholes. For example, many of the microbeads used in personal care products such as deodorant and nail polish are not considered “rinse off” and some regulations use the term “biodegradable” to dictate the products allowed.

that if legislation is sought, new wording should be used to “ensure that a material that is persistent, bioaccumulative, or toxic is not added to products designed to go down the drain.”

“The probability of risk from microbead pollution is high, while the solution to the problem is simple. Banning microbeads from products that enter wastewater will ultimately protect water quality, wildlife and resources used by people,” .

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