MAYVILLE – For Dr. Sherri Mason, chemistry professor and environmental science program coordinator at SUNY Fredonia, the number of spherical, plastic balls in Lake Erie is alarming.

In a study she performed concerning plastic pulled from the Great Lakes, 90 percent was drawn from Lake Erie. Furthermore, 80 percent of the plastics removed from Lake Erie were to 1 millimeter in diameter.

Mason presented her research on plastic pollution – specifically, small spheres called microbeads – to the County Legislature’s Planning and Economic Development Committee meeting Wednesday. Microbeads are small plastic microspheres that pass through wastewater treatment facilities, absorb contamination and enter into the watershed, where they are consumed by fish.

“When you see something that’s a round spherical ball, that had to be released into the water as a perfectly spherical ball,” Mason said. “Looking at these particles in detail led us to hypothesize that they came from personal care products that incorporate microbeads as one of the ingredients. We thought we’d be picking up bigger sources of plastics (such as) bags and bottles. Instead, the majority of what we were finding was incredibly small.”

Mason gathered personal care products containing microbeads from store shelves and found that the products were a source of plastic pollution.

According to Mason, small round products like microbeads are not dominating the types of plastics found in the lake, such as plastic fragments from bottles and bags.

“That’s really not surprising if you think about how many plastic items we use,” Mason said. “All of those are going to break down into these fragments, but the pellets are a significant source – 20 percent on average (in the lake).”

Banning microbeads will not solve the plastic pollution problem in Lake Erie and other waterways, Mason said. However, controlling the source where microbeads come from is a solid first step to reduce the problem. Microbeads act as a chemical sponge and are ingested by fish, she said.

“It could move up the chain, and not so much plastics, but the chemicals,” Mason said.

Mason conducted a food web assessment in collaboration with the local fisheries unit in Dunkirk. Twenty-five fish species analyzed within the lake were found to have plastic inside them.

“On average, 75-100 percent have plastic,” Mason said. “If (plastic) is in the water, it’s in us.”

Eight states have implemented bans on the sale or production of microbeads, but they will not take effect until 2018 and 2019. Mason said the timeline to implement a ban needs to occur sooner as hundreds of thousands of plastic particles are released into waterways every day. Part of the reason why legislation in New York is stalling is due to a faster timeline that is being proposed, Mason said.

“The timeline is much faster than the other states,” Mason said.

The Personal Care Products Council was in attendance to voice their opinion regarding a ban on the sale of microbeads. Dr. Iain Davies, senior environmental scientist, said the research regarding microbeads are interpreted and misleading. Davies said there isn’t enough data to relate microbeads back to ingredients in personal care products.

“Environmental study data suggests that the majority of plastic particles present in the environment primarily originate from the disintegration of larger plastics, rather than organizing as microbeads,” Davies said. “A survey of 2012 usage data shows that plastic microbeads in cosmetic products account for .1-1.5 percent of the plastic debris found in the marine environment.”

Karin Ross, director of government affairs for the council, said they disagree with bans on a county-by-county approach.

“It can be onerous and problematic for manufacturers, retailers and consumers,” she said. “We are very committed and we have been working in several states. We have supported legislation that is law in eight states. We have been very proactive and supportive of legislation moving at the federal level. We are committed to working on the statewide proposal.”

Keith Ahlstrom, D-Dunkirk, said he wishes there was a better way to go about a ban. Legislation passing through the state Legislature is difficult unless counties back the ban, he said.

“This more or less is the way we have to do this type of business,” Ahlstrom said. “Personally, we look forward to working with all sides in coming up with legislation that is appropriate for the consumers and manufacturers.”