RIT on TV: RIT Environmentalist on WROC about micro beads

Описание: You know those tiny plastic beads found in personal skin care products like facial scrubs and toothpaste? Microbeads are turning up in the tens of millions in the Great Lakes and they could be toxic. The State Attorney General is leading the charge to ban them in New York. RIT's Kate Winnbeck was among those interviewed by WROC for the story.

The shelves in the cosmetic and personal skin care aisles are lined with products that contain microbeads. They help with exfoliation and abrasion. The beads eventually make their way into our water supply. They are turning up in the tens of millions in the Great Lakes, including Lake Ontario. Environmentalists say the beads become coated with toxins, eventually making their way up the food chain to our dinner tables.

"Fish are eating these little plastic beads. They end up in the fish. A lot of contaminants attach themselves to the beads, so those end up inside the fish as well," said Kate Winnebeck, environmentalist.

New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman wants to ban the sale of face washes and body scrubs that contain the beads.

"If there's an alternative that's safe and organic it sounds like it's something that would definitely be a great replacement," said Meng Wang, Rochester.

There are some natural alternatives already on the market. Exfoliants made from nuts and fruit pits found in apricots and avocados. It's something those we talked to say is worth exploring.

"It's really on our generation to start taking some of that initiative. Because we haven't even known to think about it for so long. That it's really on us to take responsibility," said Emma Molodetz, Rochester.

If New York takes the lead, this could affect products and the way they are manufactured around the country.