Research: Glass bottles contain up to 50 times more microplastics than plastic bottles
Microplastics are everywhere, and as the name implies, are typically associated with products containing plastic. However, a new study has uncovered an unexpected source of these pollutants.
The study, published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, reveals that drinks stored in glass bottles contain more microplastics than those kept in plastic or metal containers.
Guillaume Duflos, director of research at the French food safety watchdog ANSES, and his team undertook a mission to “investigate the level of microplastics in different types of beverages sold in France and examine the impact of various containers.”
Contrary to their expectations, they found that beverages in glass bottles, including lemonade, iced tea, beer, and soft drinks, had five to 50 times more microplastics than those in plastic or metal containers.
Iseline Chaib, co-author of the study, told AFP that the team “expected the opposite result.” In their analysis, the researchers found an average of about 100 microplastic particles per litre in these glass bottles.
Chaib elaborated, “We noticed that in the glass, the particles that emerged from the samples had the same shape, color, and polymer composition – thus, the same plastic – as the color on the outside of the caps that seal the glass bottles.”
The researchers proposed that “microscopic scratches, invisible to the naked eye, likely caused by friction between the caps during storage,” could then “release particles on the surface of the caps.”
However, some aspects of the study’s findings remain puzzling. The team found only 4.5 particles and 1.6 particles of microplastics per litre in glass and plastic bottles, respectively.
Interestingly, wine bottles contained very few microplastics. Conversely, there were 60, 40, and 30 microplastics per litre in beer, lemonade, and soft drinks, respectively. Duflos admitted that the reason for this inconsistency “remains to be explained.”
While the full health impact of microplastics is not yet fully understood, studies have linked them to inflammation, hormonal imbalances, DNA damage, respiratory disease, heart problems, and certain cancers.
ANSES suggests a simple solution: blow out the caps and rinse them with water and alcohol. According to the French regulatory authority, this method can reduce plastic contamination by 60%.
Source: New York Post
