Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz Wednesday signed a law that will prohibit the sale of personal cosmetic products containing microbeads..

Microbeads are a synthetic ingredient that are added to more than 100 cosmetic products ranging from shampoos and toothpastes to body and facial cleansers. They are used as an alternative to such natural materials as ground almonds, oatmeal and pumice.

Poloncarz said microbeads pose a serious threat to Erie County’s ecology and environment, once they are rinsed down household drains and then pass through wastewater treatment facilities and enter local waterways – spreading pollutants and harming fish and other aquatic life.

“The accumulation of billions of these tiny plastic particles in our waterways and in Lake Erie pollutes our environment and threatens fish and the other organisms that ingest them, disrupting the food chain and poisoning our water bodies. With this local law, Erie County is leading the way in New York State in protecting our residents and our environment,” said Poloncarz.

The microbeads ban was introduced by Legislator Patrick B. Burke, D-Buffalo, and unanimously approved by the Legislature on July 30.