Ban on Microbeads to Be Examined at This Month's County Legislature Meeting

A Chautauqua County legislator pushing for a ban on selling products containing microbeads says he has a local law ready to go for this month's meeting.  Silver Creek Republican George Borrello has been looking into the issue and supports the stand by Fredonia chemistry professor Dr. Sherri Mason. Mason says microbeads are used in personal care products from toothpaste to body washes. Borrello says the law would be patterned after the recent law enacted in Erie County, New York...

George Borrello: how it would be carried out

Borrello adds that he also wants to have some public education on what the impact of microbeads are on the Great Lakes and other American waterways. While some major companies that have included the tiny particles in their products in the past have now pledged to get rid of them, he says a ban is still a good idea.  Borrello adds that the proposal has gotten a good response from fellow lawmakers...

George Borrello: very favorable response

Mason says the biggest problem with microbeads is they can't be filtered out by older wastewater treatment plants, and they get into waterways, fouling the water and getting into the fish in those waterways. She recently made a presentation to the Planning and Economic Development Committee, which Borrello chairs.