Microbead-Free Waters Act Bans Plastic Beads Used In Facial Scrubs,
Shampoos And Toothpaste; Beads Found At High Levels In Lake Erie, Beads
Pollute New York Waters And Pose Emerging Threat To Wildlife, Public
Health
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today was joined by Long Island
Assemblyman Robert K. Sweeney in proposing first-in-the-nation
legislation that bans a form of plastic pollution that is an emerging
threat to New York’s Great Lakes and other bodies of water. The Attorney
General’s Microbead-Free Waters Act will prohibit the sale in New York
of beauty and cosmetic products that contain tiny plastic particles that
are often marketed as microbeads. The plastic beads, which were
recently found in alarmingly high levels in the New York waters of Lake
Erie, can persist in the environment for centuries and accumulate toxic
chemicals on their surface, threatening fish, wildlife and public
health.
“From the Great Lakes to the Hudson River to Long Island Sound, our
commitment to protecting and restoring New York’s waters is among our
most important responsibilities,” Attorney General Schneiderman said.
“New York’s environmental leadership continues today with the
introduction of common-sense legislation that will stop the flow of
plastic from ill-designed beauty products into our vital waters,
preserving our natural heritage for future generations.”
The Microbead-Free Waters Act would prohibit the production,
manufacture, distribution and sale in New York of any beauty product,
cosmetic or other personal care product containing plastic particles
less than 5 millimeters in size. Microbeads are commonly found in more
than 100 products, including facial scrubs, soaps, shampoo and
toothpaste, where they replace ground walnut shells, sea salt, and other
natural materials as an abrasive.
Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Robert K. Sweeney
said, “When people learn more about this issue, they will be unwilling
to sacrifice water quality just to continue to use products with plastic
microbeads. I never met anyone who has wanted plastic on their face or
in their fish. I want to thank Attorney General Schneiderman for
partnering with me to take action on an issue that threatens to pollute
our State's environmental treasures."
When products containing microbeads are used in the home, the beads
are rinsed down the drain and into our sewer systems. Because of their
small size and buoyancy, microbeads escape treatment by sewage plants
and are discharged into rivers, lakes and oceans.
In 2012, a team of researchers that included scientists from the
State University of New York at Fredonia discovered alarming levels of
microbeads in the Great Lakes – with the highest concentrations recorded
in the New York waters of Lake Erie. Half of all plastics collected on
the surface of Lake Erie were the perfectly spherical, multi-colored
beads identical to the microbeads used in beauty products. Other
plastics collected included larger plastic litter that had broken down
in the environment, such as detergent bottles and Styrofoam.
Once in the water, microbeads, like other plastics, can attract and
accumulate certain toxic chemicals commonly found in waters across the
state, and can be mistaken as food by small fish and wildlife.
Scientific studies have shown that fish and wildlife of all sizes
consume plastic. In addition, environmental pollution found in Great
Lakes waters, such as PCBs (the industrial pollutants polychlorinated
biphenyls), gravitate and attach to the surface of plastic. If fish and
wildlife species low on the food chain eat these contaminated plastics,
the chemicals might be passed on to larger birds, fish and other animals
that people eat.
To date, the Great Lakes are the only New York open waters sampled
for plastic pollution. However, microbeads in beauty products can pass
through sewage treatment facilities in any part of the State, raising
concerns about their introduction into other State waters.
Three leading beauty product manufacturers – Proctor and Gamble,
Unilever and Colgate-Palmolive – have all made recent commitments to
phase out the use of microbeads in their products. Other companies, such
as Burt’s Bees, have never used these plastics in their products.
Consumers can determine if their beauty or personal care products
contain microbeads by checking the product ingredient list for
“polyethylene” or “polypropylene.”
New York State Senator Mark Grisanti said, “Protecting our Great
Lakes - especially Lake Erie - goes hand in hand with revitalizing our
waterfront. From Grand Island all the way to Brant, our waterfront is
undergoing an incredible transformation. I support the concept of the
Microbead-Free Waters Act and I believe it will keep dangerous plastic
pollution out of our water and protect regional assets like the Great
Lakes, which have become epicenters for economic development.”
Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster, a board member of The Great Lakes -
St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, said, “Once we became aware of this
significant new pollution threat recently uncovered in the Great Lakes,
The Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Cities Initiative took a strong stance
that the flow of microbeads into our waters must stop. We applaud
Attorney General Schneiderman for spearheading this initiative, and we
look forward to working alongside him to ensure that the future of the
Great Lakes is microbead free.”
Mayor Keith Hobbs, of Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Chairman of the
Cities Initiative, said, “We are moving forward with our actions to
solve this problem, and these efforts in New York will be a big help in
this important initiative.”
New York League of Conservation Voters President Marcia Bystryn said,
“New York’s lakes and waterways are among our most beloved natural
assets. This legislation will not only help protect them for future
generations – it will also set an example for other states around the
country to address this emerging environmental threat. We thank Attorney
General Schneiderman for forging a common-sense, effective strategy to
safeguard the natural resources that we all cherish and depend on.”
Peter Iwanowicz, Executive Director of Environmental Advocates of New
York, said, “It’s easy to underestimate the harm that products like
this cause, but no matter the shape or size of the plastic, it is still
plastic we are flushing down the drain. Plastic microbeads haven’t made a
single New Yorker cleaner or more beautiful so their continued use is
absurd. Environmental Advocates applauds Attorney General Schneiderman
for proposing this legislation, and we urge its passage.”
Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter Conservation Director Roger Downs said,
“Plastic pollution is insidious – it doesn’t degrade like natural
materials and persists for decades, if not centuries in our environment.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has set the bar on holding
the beauty products industry accountable, and we urge other states
around Great Lakes basin, and across the country to follow New York’s
leadership.”
5 Gyres Institute Dr. Marcus Eriksen, lead author on the paper
reporting on the first ever open-water survey of the Great Lakes for
plastic pollution, said, “We found more small plastic pieces in the
Great Lakes than in the ocean garbage patches, and the majority were
microbeads. The 5 Gyres Institute commends New York Attorney General
Eric Schneiderman for his global leadership in responding quickly to
this emerging source of plastic pollution.”
Erin Crotty, Executive Director of Audubon New York and Vice
President of the National Audubon Society, said, “Small plastics like
microbeads pose a growing threat to many bird species that feed at the
water’s surface. Many waterbirds mistake plastics for food -- or are
susceptible to bioaccumulation of plastic in the fish they eat -- with
detrimental effect, including decreased food-absorption and starvation.
Audubon New York applauds New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman
for his leadership and attention to the growing problem of plastic
pollution, and the threat it poses to birds and people across the
globe.”
Brian Smith, of Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE), said,
“Plastic microbeads that can accumulate toxic chemicals and be consumed
by fish and wildlife are unnecessarily polluting New York’s treasured
waters and threatening public health. CCE commends Attorney General
Schneiderman for his leadership to protect the health of the Great Lakes
and all New York waters by proactively addressing this emerging
threat.”
Jill Jedlicka, Executive Director of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper,
said, “The emerging threat of microbead pollution has the potential to
undermine the billions of dollars of public and private investment into
our water-based economies and negatively impact the progress of Great
Lakes restoration. We applaud Attorney General Schneiderman for
demonstrating New York State's leadership on this issue in the Great
Lakes, and for advancing legislation that will directly benefit the
health of our waterways."
Paul Gallay, President of Riverkeeper, said, “Riverkeeper commends
Attorney General Schneiderman for taking action to address the growing
problem of micro bead pollution in New York’s waters. We have strived
for decades to reclaim the Hudson River from its industrial, polluted
past, and we have a cleaner, healthier river as a result. These plastic
microbeads are an unnecessary and harmful product that do not belong in
our waterways, and should be phased out of use as quickly as possible –
this proposed law would be a precedent-setting first step in achieving
this goal.”
