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AB 823 would ban plastic microbeads and microplastic additives in rinse-off products; health and water groups co-sponsor
Summary
Assemblymember Berner's AB 823 seeks to ban sale of non-rinse-off personal care products and cleaning products that contain plastic microbeads and microplastic fillers beginning in 2029; supporters cited presence of microplastics in water, fish and human tissues and urged source control to avoid costly drinking-water treatment.
Assemblymember Berner presented AB 823 (Protecting Californians from Toxic Plastic Microbeads Act), which would ban the sale of non-rinse-off personal care products and cleaning products that intentionally include plastic microbeads and microplastic particulate beginning January 1, 2029.
Andrea Ventura of Clean Water Action and Nancy Biermeier of Breast Cancer Prevention Partners testified in support. Ventura emphasized source control and the cost and complexity of removing microplastics from drinking water, noting San Francisco Bay among areas with high microplastic concentrations. Biermeier described emerging research detecting microplastics in human tissues including breast milk and blood and linked concerns about associated chemical additives (phthalates, bisphenols, PFAS) to reproductive, developmental and cancer risks.
Multiple water agencies, waste management groups and environmental and health organizations cosponsored or supported the bill, including East Bay Municipal Utility District, Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, Alameda Stop Waste, California Against Waste, and others. No in-room opposition was recorded in the transcript.
Committee members established quorum and the bill was moved out of committee with an "aye" vote. Supporters said source-reduction will reduce long-term treatment costs and protect vulnerable communities that rely on subsistence fishing or lack advanced water treatment.
Ending: Committee advanced AB 823 to the next committee; cosponsors emphasized the bill's alignment with source-control principles and environmental-justice concerns around exposure through waterways and food.
