Why These Senators Want to Ban Microbeads in Cosmetics

A bill has been introduced in the Senate that would ban the use of microbeads in household products such as soap.

Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, both Democrats from Michigan, introduced the Senate version of a House bill on Tuesday. The House bill was introduced by Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., in March.

The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 would “prohibit the sale or distribution of cosmetics containing synthetic plastic microbeads.” It would go into effect in 2018.

In a statement, Stabenow, the co-chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, said that the legislation would protect the Great Lakes.

“Microbeads seem like a nice way to get extra ‘scrub’ in your soap, but they pose a very real danger to our Great Lakes,” said Stabenow. “Researchers are finding these bits of plastic building up in our lakes, rivers and streams. When we see these kinds of things are threatening our Great Lakes and potentially threatening fish populations, we need to take swift action.”

In a press release, Stabenow’s office cited a report by the State University of New York that found “anywhere from 1,500 to 1.1 million microbeads per square mile in the Great Lakes, the world’s largest source of freshwater.”

Peters, a member of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, said that phasing out microbeads would benefit the Great Lakes region.

“Millions of tiny synthetic plastic microbeads from products like face wash and toothpaste are being discharged into Michigan’s waterways, jeopardizing the Great Lakes ecosystem that our state depends on,” Peters said in a statement.

These non-biodegradable microbeads are acting as a magnet for other dangerous pollutants that threaten the health of our Great Lakes and are then being consumed by fish, birds and other wildlife. I am pleased to support this commonsense, bipartisan effort to phase out the unnecessary use of these plastic microbeads in consumer products, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance this critical legislation.

The Senate legislation is sponsored by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., are among its co-sponsors. The House legislation is sponsored by Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich.