Turns Out Glass Bottles Have Microplastics Too—Is Something Really Protected to Drink From?

Assume you’re avoiding microplastics once you drink from a glass bottle moderately than a plastic one? New analysis discovered that is probably not the case.

A brand new examine, printed this month within the Journal of Meals Composition and Evaluation, discovered that drinks packaged in glass bottles really contained way more microplastics than these packaged in plastic bottles and cans. The researchers imagine caps often is the wrongdoer.

Microplastics—tiny items of plastic lower than 5 millimeters lengthy—are pervasive all through our oceans, soil, meals, and air. They will enter our our bodies in quite a few methods and have been linked to well being points corresponding to infertility, hormone disruptions, heart problems, and most cancers.

“This examine challenges the frequent assumption that cup packaging is mechanically safer,” stated Nicole Sparks, PhD, assistant professor of environmental and occupational well being on the UC Irvine Joe C. Wen Faculty of Inhabitants and Public Well being. “Parts like caps generally is a main supply of microplastic publicity.”

To find out how packaging impacts the quantity of microplastics in varied drinks, French researchers used a particular microscope and chemical evaluation to look at water, soda, iced tea, lemonade, wine, and beer bought in France.

All the samples contained microplastics, the info confirmed. However the concentrations differed primarily based on the packaging for every beverage:

Cola, iced tea, lemonade, and beer: These drinks contained considerably extra microplastics when packaged in glass bottles—in some circumstances, the quantity of microplastics was practically 50 instances greater than in plastic bottles and cans.Water: Glass bottles of water had barely larger microplastic content material, however water was the least-contaminated beverage throughout the board.Wine: Quarter-liter “brick” carton packaging was related to extra microplastics in wine, although the extent of microplastic contamination for all the wines examined was comparatively low.

Primarily, the quantity of microplastics an individual is uncovered to could differ extensively primarily based on what they’re consuming and from which container. A mean plastic bottle of water could comprise about 1.6 microplastics per liter (MPs/L), for instance, whereas a glass bottle of lemonade could comprise over 100 MPs/L.

It’s price noting that the researchers solely examined for microplastics, not nanoplastics. These a lot tinier particles “could have gone undetected, reinforcing the necessity for additional investigation,” added Rene Caballero, PhD, analysis toxicologist at NSF, a public well being and security group primarily based in Michigan.

For those who discover it unusual that glass-bottled drinks have been extra contaminated than plastic ones, you’re not alone. “We have been anticipating the other consequence,” examine creator Iseline Chaïb, a PhD pupil with the French Company for Meals, Environmental and Occupational Well being & Security, stated in a press launch.

However there’s a concept as to why: the cap.

Producers usually use paints to cowl metallic caps on glass bottles—and people chemical substances could leach microplastics into the drinks, researchers stated.

Of their testing, the crew famous that the microplastics present in glass-bottled drinks often had the identical shade, form, and polymer composition because the paint used on the caps. Plus, researchers discovered tiny scratches on lots of the caps.

“These caps shed polyester-based particles throughout manufacturing, storage, or sealing, seemingly resulting from friction and abrasion,” Sparks advised Well being.

As soon as researchers cleaned the caps, the quantity of microplastics considerably dropped. Microplastic contamination fell from 287 MPs/L to 106 MPs/L when researchers blew air onto the caps, and additional dropped to 87 MPs/L when the caps have been additionally rinsed with a water and alcohol combination.

One other piece of proof? Though wines are often packaged in glass bottles, using a cork as an alternative of a cap seemingly explains why the quantity of microplastic contamination was a lot decrease.

Cleansing caps or eliminating them doesn’t utterly clear up the difficulty—airborne particles, contaminated water and substances, and plastic manufacturing unit gear may add microplastics into drinks, Caballero advised Well being.

Nonetheless, researchers and consultants agree the findings ought to encourage beverage producers to vary their processes to guard shoppers.

“The elevated ranges detected in drinks from glass bottles are regarding, as they counsel that cup with painted caps isn’t a secure various to plastic, prompting a reevaluation of packaging decisions,” Amelia Meyer, MSc, a analysis program supervisor finding out environmentally mediated infectious illnesses at Stanford Drugs, advised Well being.

Microplastics have been detected all through the human physique—in blood, breast milk, the digestive tract, lung tissue, and extra. Oral ingestion is regarded as the principle means that these particles get into our our bodies, stated Caballero.

Rising proof suggests microplastics could also be linked to irritation, oxidative stress, and intestine microbiome points. “These particles could intrude with important organic techniques, together with metabolism, replica, and improvement,” stated Sparks.

Over time, the microplastics—and the injury they trigger—can accumulate and probably contribute to the event of persistent illness and different well being points, although their impact appears to depend upon particle measurement, form, chemical composition, and different components, Sparks defined.

“Extra analysis is required to know how these findings translate to persistent human publicity,” she stated.

Individuals, on common, are uncovered to between 39,000 and 52,000 microplastic particles per 12 months—and that’s simply via meals, estimates counsel.

Relating to drinks, glass bottles is probably not the secure various folks assume they’re. And although this new examine advised plastic bottled water could also be safer, U.S. analysis from 2024 discovered that bottled water incorporates a mean of about 240,000 plastic items, nearly all of that are nanoplastics. Researchers have even discovered microplastics in faucet water, albeit at decrease concentrations.

So is it even attainable to keep away from microplastics when they’re so ubiquitous? Most likely not, consultants agreed. “No container is risk-free,” stated Sparks.