Opinion: Newsom must protect California’s drinking water from microplastics

In the current political context where good theater often trumps good protocol California has the opportunity to lead with a few plain common sense Governor Newsom can sign AB authored by Assembly member Tasha Boerner D-Encinitas and prevent unnecessary plastic trash from entering our drinking water and our bodies The bill which unanimously passed the state Senate on Sept and now precariously sits on the governor s desk builds off a law passed years ago that successfully stopped the use of plastic microbeads in rinse off personal care products by expanding the prohibition to cleaning products and stay on cosmetics It is based on the simple premise that if plastic isn t necessary in a product it shouldn t be there Related Articles Wildfire threats to California water guidance demand attention group warns EBMUD adopts new UV light apparatus to combat water quality threats Spirit of optimism as Richardson Bay restoration progresses Pickett Fire containment rises to as Napa County issues wellbeing crisis over debris Water district drops plan to build largest new Bay Area reservoir since The cost of treating drinking water for a growing number of pollutants is a major challenge facing various Californian households the present day While the state already sets legal limits on over contaminants leading the nation in protecting general healthcare we continue to learn about new emerging contaminants that can be anticipated to pollute our water supplies and add further fitness threats and expense if they are left to flow into our surroundings unabated One of these emerging issues is the presence of microplastics in drinking water supplies Expected exposure to microplastics in drinking water is sobering considering the ever growing evidence of serious wellness effects These include cancers gastric inflammation reproductive harm and dementia as microplastics are being unveiled at increasing levels in humans Babies are even being born with these toxic materials in their emerging bodies The presence of microplastics in California s precious and limited drinking water is of such growing concern that the state Legislature has required the State Water Information Control Board to develop plans to measure the particles in water supplies and assessment the implications to populace fitness That work is ongoing but is complicated by the variety of plastics entering our water including their differing colors shapes and chemical additives Adding to the technical complexity is the sheer expense of testing According to the Water Board one sample can take up to hours to analyze depending on the method and cost upwards of Consequently the continued flow of plastics into our water supplies creates both a technological and economic challenge for both wastewater and drinking water agencies that serve the population These costs will ultimately be borne by ratepayers While addressing plastics in water is not simple it is common sense to stop purposely putting tiny plastic microbeads in products like household cleaners and cosmetics We ve all seen them those speckles in detergents or glitter in make-up Ostensibly they are there to act as exfoliants in cleaners or because glitter is pretty But given that plastic carries with it so a great number of problems it is unreasonable to use it to serve such purposes especially when more natural alternatives such as shells sand and mica exist and are also commonly used That s where AB comes in This essential bill doesn t end the use of dirt scraping materials or sparkle It purely says let s make them safer by banning their plastic versions That will keep tons of plastics out of our water supplies That is simple common sense Andria Ventura is director of act and strategy at Clean Water Action