Who thought it was a good idea to put small, plastic beads that last forever in products that go down the drain? Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed the nation’s first bill banning the manufacture and sale synthetic plastic microbeads in personal care products and non-prescription drugs. Several other states are considering such bills and several major manufacturers – Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal and Unilever among them – are already working on phase-outs. Small enough to slip through wastewater systems, these beads are accumulating in Lake Michigan and other water-bodies where they can absorb toxics and harm wildlife.