Ohio will ban microbeads? Well, there’s new legislature in the works that might ban the manufacture and sale of microscopic beads that are used in care products and act as exfoliants. State Reps. John Patterson and Kent Smith, both Democrats, have explained their reasons for pushing forward a bill that would ban the microscopic beads earlier this month.
It seems that discontinuing the production and usage of the microscopic beads would help protect Lake Erie, which is part of the largest fresh water supply ecosystem in the World. The lake is located on the state’s northern border and is an important focus of conservationist efforts.
The bill has still not been voted on by the Congress but the fact that it has been submitted could hint that there is now an effort being made on a state level to ban the production of the microbeads. It is not the first time that a bill at a Statehouse is evaluated on the subject of banning microbeads.
However Democratic representative John Patterson of Jefferson thinks he has a better shot at getting the bill to pass because of the federal support it has garnered and because there are fewer companies still using them in their products. With companies phasing the ingredient out slowly, there might be less opposition to get rid of the beads. Patterson himself has stated that the industry agrees with the need to get rid of the beads and understands why they are not the best option.
And maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get rid of the microscopic beads, if you think about it. They often times cause more trouble than they’re worth. Microscopic beads are used in personal care products such as toothpaste, facial masks, facial scrubs, body washes and other personal care products.
And while some of your choice personal care products may contain them, they’re mostly used as exfoliants and are not a vital ingredient in the composition of the product. They do, however, end up causing some trouble once they get into the water pipes and end up in Lake Erie. The fact that they are microscopic means that they are too fine to be caught by wastewater treatment plants.
This means there’s no way of stopping them from reaching the lake. And that’s where they cause trouble because they pollute the water in the lake and in the adjoining rivers and they can be swallowed by fish and other aquatic life.
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