Crest Toothpaste Contains Plastic

Back in August of 2013, I wrote an article about microbead pollution
(1) and shared some of the various products you can find microbeads in
such as nail art, soap, body wash, face scrubs and toothpaste. So I
wasn’t too surprised to read an article by Trish Walraven, a Dental
Hygienist in Texas regarding this very problem. Trish began noticing
many of her patients had blue green specs below their gum line. After
speaking with other hygienists and talking with patients a common
denominator was revealed…..Crest toothpaste. (2)

If you use Crest toothpaste, you may be surprised to learn that those
blue specks are actually pieces of plastic. That’s right polyethylene
is clearly listed as a label ingredient. Polyethylene is the most
commonly used plastic in the world. Used in everything from garbage
containers, grocery bags, plastic bottles and containers to bulletproof
vests and knee replacements. (3) Polyethylene isn’t biodegradable, it
simply breaks down into smaller pieces.