Turns Out Glass Bottles Have Microplastics Too—Is Anything Actually Safe to Drink From?

Think you are Avoid microplastics When you drink in a glass bottle Rather than a plastic? New research found It may not be the case.

A new study, published this month in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysisfound that drinks wrapped in glass bottles really contained Much more microplastics than those wrapped in plastic bottles and cans. Researchers believe caps Maybe the culprit.

Microplastics – plastic pieces less than 5 millimeters long – are omnipresent in our oceans, soil, food and air. They can enter our body in several ways and have been linked to health problems Like infertility, hormonal disturbances, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

“This study questions the common hypothesis that the glass packaging is automatically safer,” said Nicole Sparks, PHD, assistant environmental and professional health professor at the UC Irvine Joe C. Wen. “Components like CAP can be a major microplastic exposure source.”

To determine how the packaging affects the amount of microplastics in various drinks, French researchers used a special microscope and a chemical analysis to examine water, soda, iced tea, lemonade, wine and beer Sold in France.

All the samples contained microplastics, the data showed. But the concentrations differ depending on the packaging for each drink:

• Cola, icy tea, lemonade and beer: These drinks contained many more microplastics when they are packed in glass bottles – in some cases, the amount of microplastics was almost 50 times more than in plastic bottles and cans.
• Water: The glass water bottles had a slightly higher microplastic content, but the water was the least contaminated drink at all levels.
• Wine: The packaging of “brick” boxes of a quarter of a bed was associated with more microplastics in the wine, although the level of microplastic contamination for all tested wines is relatively low.

Essentially, the quantity of microplastics to which a person is exposed can differ considerably depending on what they drink and from which the container. An average plastic water bottle may contain 1.6 microplastics per liter (MPS / L), for example, while a lemonade glass bottle may contain 100 MPS / L.

It should be noted that researchers only tested microplastics, not nanoplastics. These much thinner particles “may have been not detected, strengthening the need for a more in-depth investigation,” added René Caballero, PHD, research toxicologist at NSF, a public health and security organization based in Michigan.

If you find it strange that glass size drinks are more contaminated than plastic, you are not alone. “We expected this opposite result”, “ The author of the Iseline Chaïb study, doctoral student of the French Agency for Health and Safety and Safety of Food and Labor, said in a press release.

But there is a theory to know why: The cap.

Manufacturers often use paintings To cover metal caps on glass bottles – and these chemicals can Linked microplastics in drinks, have said researchers.

During their tests, the team noted that the microplastics found in drinks on foot in glass had generally had the Same color, shape and composition in polymer As the paint used on traffic jams. In addition, researchers have found tiny scratches on many traffic jams.

“These caps lose particles based on polyester during manufacture, storage or sealing, probably due to friction and abrasion,” said Sparks Health.

Once the researchers Cleaning the traffic jams, the amount of microplastics has dropped considerably. Microplastic contamination increased from 287 MPS / L to 106 MPS / L when the researchers blew air on the traffic jams and dropped again at 87 MPS / L when the traffic jams were also rinsed with a mixture of water and alcohol.

Another evidence? Even if wines are generally packed in glass bottles, the use of a Liège instead of a cap Probably explains why the amount of microplastic contamination was so much lower.

Cleaning the traffic jams or getting rid of them does not completely solve the problem –particles suspended in the air, water and contaminated ingredients and plastic factory equipment can also add microplastics to drinks, said Caballero Health.

However, researchers and experts agree that results should encourage drinking manufacturers to change their processes to protect consumers.

“The high levels detected in drinks in glass bottles are concerningas they suggest that Glass with painted caps is not a safe alternative to plastic, Providing a reassessment of packaging choices, “said Amelia Meyer, MSC, a research program manager studying infectious environmental diseases at Stanford Medicine. Health.

Microplastics have been detected Throughout the human body– In the blood, breast milk, digestive tract, pulmonary tissue, and more. Oral ingestion is considered to be the main way in which these particles enter our body, said Caballero.

Increasing evidence suggest that microplastics can be linked to inflammation, oxidative stress and intestinal microbiome problems. “These particles can interfere with critical biological systems, Including metabolism, reproduction and development, ”said Sparks.

Over time, microplastics – and the damage they cause – can accumulate and potentially contribute to the development of chronic diseases and other health problems, Although their effect seems to depend on the size of the particles, the shape, the chemical composition and other factors, explained sparks.

“Additional research is necessary to understand how these results result in a chronic human exposure,” she said.

People, on average, are exposed to 39,000 and 52,000 microplastic particles per year –And it’s just through food, suggest estimates.

Regarding drinks, glass bottles may not be the safe alternative that people assume they are. And even if this new study suggested that plastic bottle water can be safer, American searches of 2024 have revealed that bottled water contains an average of around 240,000 plastic parts, the majority of which are nanoplastics. The researchers even found microplastics in tap water, but at lower concentrations.

So is it even possible to avoid microplastics When they are so omnipresent? Probably not, Experts have accepted. “No container is without risk,” said Sparks.

But there are different steps that can help you Reduce your exhibition.

At home, Keep your drinks in glassware, stainless steel or bamboo. When you use plastic containers, avoid putting them in the dishwasher and microwave, advised Caballero, so that they did not leap microplastics in your food or drinks.

When you go out or drink a drink purchased in stores, you don’t need to completely Avoid glass bottles – instead, consider Turning between the types of packagingSaid Sparks.

If in doubt, opt for drinks and fresh and not processed snacks – the objective, according to Meyer, is Reduce our overall dependence on drinks wrapped in general.