"Canada Declares Microbeads Toxic"

LAKE HURON — Last week the federal government moved to list microbeads as a toxic substance under the Environmental Protection Act, thus giving the government power to ban the use of the microplastics (plastics smaller than five millimetres in size) in items such as body washes, cleansers and toothpastes.

According to Environment Canada, a substance is considered toxic if, “it is entering or may enter the environment in a quantity or concentration or under conditions that: have or may have an immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity; constitute or may constitute a danger to the environment on which life depends; or constitute or may constitute a danger in Canada to human life or health.”

The ban follows a motion posed last year by NDP MP Megan Leslie to see microplastics added to the list of toxic substances, with unanimous approval from all parties."

Alicia McCutcheon reports for the Manitoulin Expositor July 6, 2016.