Standing at the Port of Oswego Marina today (Oct. 27), U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand urged Congress to pass new legislation to ban plastic microbeads in personal care products. There are many other safer options that can be used instead of microbeads, she said. These products are designed to be rinsed down the drain. However, the microbeads are too small to be captured by wastewater treatment plants, she added.
They are subsequently found in large bodies of water, such as the Great Lakes, where they concentrate toxins and can be ingested by birds and fish, posing serious environmental and health risks.
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