Coconut oil and sugar, items Rebecca Reynolds, Founder of Green Clean, has been using in her products for years now.
“I started connecting the dots between my own personal health and the environment.”
As one who not only sells organic products but also educates others on environmental toxins, she knows the problems microbeads can cause.
She says, “They are absolutely dangerous for humans to be consuming plastics in this way because you really are consuming them, whether it’s orally or it’s through your skin.”
Her cleaning company was in the state to ‘go green.’ And as President Barack Obama has signed into law legislation that will phase microbeads out of our personal-care products over the next three years, Rebecca says manufactures just need to go back to the basics.
“I started looking up what used to be in cleaning, what our great grandparents used to use before all the toxins came to the market.”
And that’s exactly what they’ll be doing now, as the clock ticks for them to change.
Hyle White Lowry, from the Alliance for the Great Lakes, applauds the move.
“This bill, this law made such common sense. We already have products out there,” she said.
She added that the ban on microbeads is huge for both the environment and human health.
“Fish eat those plastic microbeads, they then potentially absorb those toxins and then we could potentially eat that fish.”
As manufacturers still decide what kinds of products they’ll use as substitutes, Reynolds urges consumers to act fast.
She said, “start now. If this is already going to be happening, then they should start now by removing the products from their homes and their personal care product line.”
According to the law passed, microbeads have to be removed from production by July 1, 2017 and have to be completely removed from the shelves a year later in 2018.
