Finally, microbeads are on their way towards being banned.
A microbead is a tiny plastic particle that is found in personal care products such as scrubs, soaps and even toothpaste. The particles are so small that they can not be filtered and end up in the Great Lakes. The beads resemble tiny eggs and are ingested by fish, which means that the fish are essentially eating plastic. Not only is that not good for the fish, it’s not good for people who eat the fish.
This battle has been raging for some time. Now, hopefully it is nearing the end, thanks to a Microbead Ban, which has just passed in the U.S. House.
“You spoke up on behalf of the Great Lakes,” said Nate Drag, Watershed Project Coordinator, New York. “You told our elected officials that it doesn’t make sense to put tiny bits of plastic into toothpaste, soap and other personal-care products. You explained how those microbeads get washed down the drain and into our lakes where fish and other wildlife can mistake them for food. And your voice is making a difference. Thank you for speaking out for the lakes!”
“Microbeads rinsed down the drain are polluting our water and transporting toxic pollutants that wildlife and humans ingest,” said Congressman Higgins, a member of the Congressional Great Lakes Task Force. “Western New York understands the value of clean water to our community and led the way on this effort. We are pleased to support this and see it broadened nationwide.”
Now that the ban has been passed by The House*, it’s on its way to the Senate. A microbead action alert has been created, which allows us all to voice our support for the eradication of this hazardous tiny plastic bead. Hopefully this will be the last step that we have to take before seeing this ecological nuisance eradicated. Click here to lend your support.
Photo courtesy of Alliance For the Great Lakes
*The House bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to ban the manufacturing of microbeads beginning in July of 2017. A ban on manufacturing over-the-counter drugs and on the sale of cosmetics containing microbeads would begin July 2018. The ban on sales of over-the-counter drugs containing microbeads would begin in July 2019.