Usage of Microplastic Beads in Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics Industry: A Review

Environmentalists and researchers have expressed future alarm over the widespread usage of microplastic beads in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. The microplastics used in those industries take decades to break down and are dangerous for both the ecosystem and humans. The difficulty in identifying and removing microplastics and plastics with diameter below 5 mm (milliliter) is a big environmental issue. The majority of microplastics are found in soap, scrubs, face washes, pharmaceutical products, and body washes. Once these products are used and rinsed, they quickly leak into the water, where they are consumed by aquatic life before reaching human territory. It is hard to predict the amount of microplastic beads that are released into the environment and their effects on aquatic as well as human life. The increasing microplastic pollution can be harmful to the environment and living species. This chapter tries to evaluate the use of microplastic beads in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry, their impact on the environment and lives, their preventions, fate, alternatives, policy on banning, etc. Hence, this chapter will become a stepping stone toward deciding the current application and future usage of microplastic without harming the environment and living species.