Will Oregon be next to ban microbeads?

The Oregon House is scheduled to vote this week on a bill to ban microbeads, the tiny plastic particles used as an exfoliant in personal care products.

Microbeads, found in common household products such as soap and toothpaste, get washed down the sink, and they are small enough to bypass sewer and water-treatment filters.

They end up in waterways, where they can absorb toxins before being eaten by fish.

The toxins accumulate as they move up the food chain, threatening other wildlife and humans who eat the fish.

In the absence of a ban, water treatment facilities likely will have to undergo plant upgrades at considerable cost to ratepayers, Torrey Lindbo, water sciences program manager for the city of Gresham, told a House committee earlier this month.

House Bill 3478 would phase in bans, first on the manufacture and then on the sale, of personal care products and over-the-counter drugs that contain synthetic plastic microbeads. It would be fully effective by Jan. 1, 2020.

The bill is supported by environmental groups such as the Surfrider Foundation and municipal associations such as the Oregon Association of Clean Water Agencies and the League of Oregon Cities.

It's also supported by national trade groups, including the Consumer Healthcare Products Association and the Personal Care Products Council.

Member companies already have pledged to change their formulations, Karin Ross, government affairs director for the council, said in written testimony.

Illinois was the first state to ban microbeads. Its legislation was signed into law last June. Since then, New Jersey, Maine and Colorado have followed with similar laws.

Now, about two dozen states, including Oregon, are considering bans.

"There are plenty of natural, safe and environmentally friendly substitutes for harmful plastic," Rep. Carla Piluso, D-Gresham, the bill's chief sponsor, told the committee. "Introducing this legislation is a simple fix, with a great impact."

If the House passes the bill, it will go to the Senate for approval.

tloew@statesmanjournal.com, (503) 399-6779 or follow at Twitter.com/SJWatchdog