Prelims 2019 · Q30
EasyWhy is there a great concern about the ‘microbeads’ that are released into environment?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) They are considered harmful to marine ecosystems.
Microbeads are tiny plastic beads put into cleansers and toothpastes as exfoliants; they slip through water filters, end up in oceans and lakes, and threaten aquatic life.
- ✓ (a) Microbeads are a type of microplastic. They pass easily through water treatment systems into the sea, where marine animals can swallow them and toxins can collect on them, so they are a threat to marine ecosystems.
- ✗ (b) Microbeads are rinsed off the skin and the worry about them is environmental pollution; skin cancer in children is not the reason for the concern.
- ✗ (c) Plastic beads are not taken up into crop plants through their roots; this is not the reason for concern.
- ✗ (d) Microbeads are used in personal care products, not as food additives or adulterants.
Remember · Microbeads are tiny plastic exfoliant beads in cosmetics and toothpaste that escape water treatment and pollute oceans, harming aquatic life.
Sources
- NOAA National Ocean Service: What are microplastics? ↗ “These tiny particles easily pass through water filtration systems and end up in the ocean and Great Lakes, posing a potential threat to aquatic life.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·