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Ban Sought on Microbeads in Beauty Items
Lawmakers in Albany could make New York the first state to outlaw the tiny plastic beads used in personal care products like facial scrubs and toothpastes.
Legislation that is scheduled to be introduced on Tuesday by Assemblyman Robert K. Sweeney of Suffolk County on behalf of Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman would prohibit the sale of cosmetic and beauty products that contain the beads, which are added to aid exfoliation and abrasion.
The beads appear in the tens of millions in the Great Lakes, according to scientists’ estimates, with high concentrations along the New York shores of Lake Erie. They become coated with toxins like PCBs and can be eaten by fish and other marine life. Scientists suggest that those toxins could be working their way back up the food chain to humans.
The beads and other bits of tiny “microplastic” debris slip through wastewater treatment plants and have also been found in the Los Angeles River and in the Pacific Ocean. Antipollution activists argue that limiting the use of cosmetics, which can have hundreds of thousands of beads in a bottle, can help limit the environmental risk.
In a statement, Mr. Schneiderman called the proposal “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.”
Mr. Sweeney, who is chairman of the Assembly’s environmental conservation committee, 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.”
The New York lawmakers worked with 5 Gyres, a group that fights plastic pollution in oceans, lakes and rivers. Stiv J. Wilson, the group’s policy director, said that his organization had developed model legislation and was sharing it with other states. “We’re not looking at a one-state strategy,” he said. “This is the alpha, not the omega.”
The 5 Gyres group worked with other organizations to develop a free app, Beat the Microbead, that lets iPhone users scan product bar codes to see whether microspheres are among the ingredients.
Some manufacturers, including Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson, have agreed to phase out the use of plastic beads. Others, such as Burt’s Bees, already use nonplastic alternatives like powdered pecan shells. Mr. Wilson said that his group had found thousands of products around the world that included the beads, and that dealing with individual manufacturers was “akin to playing Whac-a-Mole.”
Politics in the New York Region
A Cannabis Mess: Gov. Kathy Hochul has ordered officials to come up with a fix for the way New York licenses cannabis businesses amid widespread frustration over the plodding pace of the state’s legal cannabis rollout.
N.Y. Budget: Both of New York’s legislative chambers have announced their budget proposals. They have until April 1 to hash out a spending plan with Gov. Kathy Hochul, who unveiled her proposal in January.
Covid Deaths: Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was subpoenaed to appear before a House subcommittee to answer for his administration’s handling of nursing homes during the pandemic, a development that could further damage his chances at a political comeback.
Redistricting: After rejecting a congressional map proposed by the state’s bipartisan redistricting commission and seizing control of the drawing process, Democrats adopted new district lines that would improve their chances of winning the House majority in November, but not drastically.
Long Odds: Republicans selected Mike Sapraicone, a former police detective who runs a security firm and positions himself as a moderate, as their preferred nominee in a long-shot bid to unseat Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
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