Beverages in glass bottles contain more microplastic particles than those in plastic bottles, cartons, or cans, according to a study by the French food safety laboratory Anses.
The aim of their study was to determine the level of microplastic contamination in beverages such as water, soft drinks, iced tea, wine, and beer, as well as to examine the influence of packaging.
For most of the beverages analyzed, the level of microplastics was found to be higher in glass bottles than in other types of packaging. In the case of water, the microplastic level was relatively low regardless of packaging — on average 4.5 particles per liter in glass bottles and 1.6 in plastic bottles and cartons. Wine also contained little microplastic.
According to the report, around 100 microplastic particles per liter were found on average in glass bottles of cola, lemonade, iced tea, and beer, while the number in plastic bottles and cans was 5 to 50 times lower.
“We expected the opposite result when comparing microplastic levels in different beverages sold in France,” said Iseline Chaib, a PhD student from the Food Safety Unit.
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Scientists suspect that these plastic particles originate from the paint used on metal bottle caps. The microplastic found in the beverages had the same color and composition as the paint on the caps. Another clue was the presence of microscopic scratches on the paint, likely caused by friction between caps during storage before use.
To confirm the contamination route and explore possibilities to reduce microplastic levels, researchers conducted three experiments.
“We filled bottles with filtered water to eliminate any external microplastic contamination, and then sealed them with untreated caps, caps cleaned only by air-blowing, and caps both blown with air and rinsed with filtered water and alcohol,”explained Chaib.
The result showed that bottles sealed with untreated caps contained an average of 287 particles per liter. When the caps were cleaned with air before use, the number dropped to 106, and with additional rinsing, it fell further to 87 particles per liter.
The research team stated that it is not yet possible to determine whether the detected levels of microplastics pose a health risk.
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