Microplastics in Drinks: Glass & Capsule Concerns
- Drinks sold in glass bottles, including beer, soda, iced tea, wine and water, contain more microplastics than those in plastic bottles, according to a study released Friday by...
- The study, published in mid-May in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, was part of a thesis funded by ANSES and the Hauts-de-France region.
- "The purpose of this project was to search for the amount of microplastics in several types of drinks sold in France and to look at the impact that...
New research reveals a concerning truth: glass bottles, often perceived as a safer option, can contain more microplastics then their plastic counterparts. This study,highlighted on News Directory 3,dives deep into the surprising source of this contamination,pinpointing the metal capsules’ paint as a primary culprit. discover how everyday beverages like sodas and beers are affected by microplastic particles,and learn the implications of this widespread issue. Uncover the science behind this recent phenomenon,and more.
Study: Glass Bottles Contain More Microplastics Than Plastic Ones
Updated June 20,2025
Drinks sold in glass bottles, including beer, soda, iced tea, wine and water, contain more microplastics than those in plastic bottles, according to a study released Friday by teh National Agency for the Sanitary Safety of Food, Habitat and Labor (ANSES).
The study, published in mid-May in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, was part of a thesis funded by ANSES and the Hauts-de-France region.
“The purpose of this project was to search for the amount of microplastics in several types of drinks sold in France and to look at the impact that different containers can have,” said Guillaume Duflos, research director at ANSES, to the France-Presse agency (AFP). “This is the first time that there has been this type of work in France,” he added.
The study found an average of 100 microplastic particles per liter in glass bottles containing colas,sodas,iced teas,and beers,levels five to fifty times higher than those found in plastic bottles or cans.
“we expected an opposite result,” Iseline Chaïb, the doctoral student who conducted the research at the ANSES food safety laboratory in Boulogne-sur-Mer, told AFP. “We then noticed that, in the glass, the particles which emerged from the samples were of the same shape, the same color and the same polymer composition, therefore of the same plastic, as the exterior paint of the capsules which close these glass bottles.”
The researchers noted that the capsules’ paint “includes miniéraflures, invisible to the naked eye, probably due to friction between the capsules when stored before their use,” believing that this “could free particles on the surface of the capsules.”
The quantity of microplastics in water (mineral or natural) was “relatively low, whatever its container, with an average of 4.5 particles per liter in glass bottles and 1.6 particles in plastic bottles or bricks,” according to ANSES.
Colas contained around 30 microplastic particles,sodas about 40,and beers about 80. ANSES noted that it is indeed not possible to determine whether the quantities of microplastics found present a health risk due to a lack of reference toxicological data.
What’s next
Further research is needed to determine the potential health risks associated with microplastic consumption and to identify ways to reduce microplastic contamination in food and beverages.