Congress to vote on bill to ban microbead hygiene products in US

House committee unanimously approves proposed legislation to phase out such personal care products, whose exfoliants can end up in rivers and lakes

US lawmakers are to decide whether to ban personal care products containing microbeads - minuscule pieces of plastic considered harmful to the environment - after proposed legislation was approved by a bipartisan committee.

Microbeads, typically under 5mm in size, are used as abrasive exfoliants in products such as toothpastes and facial cleaners. They often evade water filtration systems and flow into rivers, lakes and streams, where they can be mistaken for food by fish. Pollutants can bind to the plastic, causing toxic material to infect fish and, potentially, the humans that consume them.