Murphy urges Senate to vote on bill to ban microbeads

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) is calling on his colleagues in the Senate to follow in the footsteps of the House and pass legislation to ban plastic microbeads from soaps and body washes.

“Microbeads are tiny plastic particles that go down our drains right into our lakes, rivers, and oceans,” he said in a news release. “For much of Connecticut, that means they end up in Long Island Sound, polluting the water and harming plants and animals.

Murphy said Connecticut has taken serious steps to protect its waterways, but one state can’t solve the problem alone.

“It’s a national problem that needs a national solution,” he said.

The House passed the The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, by a voice vote on Monday. The legislation would phase polyethylene and polypropylene microbeads out of personal care products, including toothpaste, and preempt states from issuing their microbead regulations.