A proposed New Jersey law could eventually remove chewing gum from store shelves across the state.
The Protecting Against Microplastics Act, introduced by Democratic Assemblywomen Shama Haider and Margie Donlon, has drawn widespread criticism because its reach could extend beyond gum to items such as tea bags, plastic utensils and other everyday products.
The lawmakers say their proposal is based on research indicating that chewing gum can release microplastics into the body, with much of that release occurring during the opening minutes of chewing.
If approved, the legislation would provide the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection with $3 million in taxpayer funding to oversee enforcement. The proposed restrictions could cover plastic plates, cutlery, containers, cleaning supplies and cosmetics, in addition to chewing gum.
Haider’s office said New Jersey would be joining other states seeking broader action on microplastic pollution, but described the measure as the first state proposal specifically aimed at products such as chewing gum.
Fourteen other states, including California, New York and Oregon, have raised concerns over what they called the “rapidly growing evidence” that microplastics could harm the environment and public health.
Under the bill’s initial phase, manufacturers would have two years to place labels on chewing gum and other covered products that contain microplastics.
Once that period ends, companies continuing to use the material would be required to remove those products from sale.
Assemblywomen Margie Donlon, left, and Shama Haider, right, are behind the proposal that could ban chewing gum in New Jersey
The proposed law would begin with labeling requirements for products containing microplastics before potentially banning their sale two years later
The proposal would also impose fines of up to $25,000 on anyone selling prohibited chewing gum on the black market. Products would be excluded if they did not contain “intentionally added microplastics,” even when trace amounts were detected in their packaging.
Haider said the measure is not designed to make the products permanently unavailable, emphasizing that its central purpose is protecting public health.
“My hope is that beginning with a labeling requirement will give manufacturers time to eliminate microplastics before a sales ban becomes necessary,” she said.
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The proposal has already triggered an angry response online. One critic posted: “With everything else going on, this is what we’re focusing on.”
Another questioned the priorities behind the legislation, writing: “How about we work on actual problems?”
Orville Morales, director of advocacy and health affairs for the New Jersey Dental Association, said he supports reducing microplastics in chewing gum but believes the legislation needs clearer language and more precise details.
A UCLA study estimated that someone chewing about 160 to 180 pieces of gum in a year could consume as many as 30 million microplastic particles
The proposed restrictions could also cover plastic utensils, plates, cleaning products and cosmetics
Morales told NJ.com that his organization plans to work with lawmakers as they revise and clarify the bill.
Research published in 2024 by the University of California, Los Angeles, examined 10 chewing gum brands and found that approximately 94 percent of the microplastics detected were 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.
