A newly proposed law threatens to ban chewing gum in New Jersey forever.
The Protecting Against Microplastics Act, introduced by Democrats Shama Haider and Margie Donlon, sparked fury as it also might put an end to tea bags, cutlery and other common products in the Garden State.
The two assemblywomen behind the bill proposal cited research that found that microplastics were released into the body during the first few minutes of chewing gum.
If passed, the bill would also give $3 million of taxpayer funds to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to enforce the ban, which would also target plastic plates, cutlery, containers, cleaning products and cosmetics.
While New Jersey joins a list of states trying to tackle a reduction of microplastics more broadly, this bill is the first to target specific consumer products like gum, Haider's office stated.
14 other states – among which are California, New York and Oregon – expressed concern about the 'rapidly growing evidence' that microplastics have 'negative impact on the environment and public health.'
In a first phase, the bill would require chewing gum companies to label their products as including microplastics for two years.
After that, companies that keep using the toxic material in their products have to pull them from the shelves.
The two assemblywomen Margie Donlon (left) and Shama Haider (right) proposed the bill that would ban chewing gum from New Jersey
If passed, the bill would first require companies to label their products that include microplastics. After two years, products including microplastics would then be banned entirely
The bill would also penalize chewing gum sold on the black market with fines of up to $25,000 but would exempt products that don't include 'intentionally added microplastics' even if traceable amounts are found in packaging.
Haider stressed that the bill is not intended to permanently make these products inaccessible and added that 'this bill is focused entirely on public health.'
'It is my hope that by starting with a label requirement, the bill will give manufacturers the opportunity to remove microplastics before it gets to the point of prohibiting sales.'
People upset with the bill proposal have taken to social media. One furious person wrote: 'With everything else going on, this is what we're focusing on.'
Another asked: 'How about we work on actual problems?'
Orville Morales, director of advocacy and health affairs at the New Jersey Dental Association, voiced his support of a reduction of microplastics in chewing gum but urged for more specificity in the proposed bill.
A University of California, Los Angeles study found that a person consuming around 160 to 180 pieces of gums throughout one year may take in up to 30 million microplastic particles
The bill would also ban plastic cutlery, plates, cleaning products and cosmetics
He told NJ.com his agency will collaborate with lawmakers to refine some of its details.
A 2024 study from the University of California, Los Angeles tested 10 different gum brands and found that about 94 percent of microplastic was released within the first eight minutes of chewing.
According to the study, a person chewing around 160 to 180 pieces of gum throughout a year would consume about 30,000 microplastic particles.
An updated study one year later found that the intake might actually be up to 1,000 times higher, close to 30 million particles.
There is still no scientific consensus on the exact human health implications of microplastic consumption but the particles have been found in organs, with some experts warning of DNA and lung damage.
The Democratic proposal would further establish the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to analyze microplastic pollution in the air and establish a program to reduce the particles in the Garden State's 'air, water and soil' by using safer materials.
The bill was brought to the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee, which can approve or amend it, in mid September.
The committee's next public meeting is yet to be announced and the bill would still need to pass both houses of state Legislature and receive final approval from the governor.
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