December 11, 2014 — Governor Chris Christie vetoed legislation banning fish-choking beads in soaps and toothpastes.
The plastic abrasives, washed down bathroom drains, evade treatment-plant filters and accumulate in waterways. Research shows evidence of the beads, about the width of a pencil tip, and their chemical traces in the organs and bloodstreams of Great Lakes fish. Scientists suspect the components may pose a hazard to the wider food supply.
Christie, a 52-year-old Republican, said he would reconsider the veto if New Jersey lawmakers lessen the proposed punishment for retailers who “perhaps unwittingly” continue to push their stock.
Though manufacturers including L’Oreal SA (OR) and Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) have said they will stop using the ingredients, some U.S. and state lawmakers are calling for bans.
New Jersey legislators in October approved penalties for retailers of as much as $10,000 a product per day starting in 2019. That’s too harsh, Christie said.
Read the full story at Bloomberg