Up to 50 times more microplastics in glass bottles than plastic, study shows
A researcher inspecting pieces of microplastic collected from the River Rhone in Arles, southern France. PHOTO: AFP
Up to 50 times more microplastics in glass bottles than plastic, study shows
PARIS – Drinks including water, soda, beer and wine sold in glass bottles contain more microplastics than those in plastic bottles, according to a surprising study released by France's food safety agency on June 20.
Researchers have detected these tiny, mostly invisible pieces of plastic throughout the world, from the air we breathe to the food we eat, as well as riddled throughout human bodies.
There is still no direct evidence that this preponderance of plastic is harmful to human health, but a burgeoning field of research is aiming to measure its spread.
Dr Guillaume Duflos, research director at French food safety agency Anses, said the team sought to 'investigate the quantity of microplastics in different types of drinks sold in France and examine the impact different containers can have'.
The researchers found an average of around 100 microplastic particles per litre in glass bottles of soft drinks, lemonade, iced tea and beer. That was five to 50 times higher than the rate detected in plastic bottles or metal cans.
'We expected the opposite result,' PhD student Iseline Chaib, who conducted the research, said.
'We then noticed that in the glass, the particles emerging from the samples were the same shape, colour and polymer composition – so therefore the same plastic – as the paint on the outside of the caps that seal the glass bottles,' she said.
The paint on the caps also had 'tiny scratches, invisible to the naked eye, probably due to friction between the caps when they were stored', Anses said in a statement.
This could then 'release particles onto the surface of the caps', it added.
Wine fine
For water, both flat and sparkling, the amount of microplastic was relatively low in all cases, ranging from 4.5 particles per litre in glass bottles to 1.6 particles in plastic.
Wine also contained few microplastics – even glass bottles with caps. Dr Duflos said the reason for this discrepancy 'remains to be explained'.
Soft drinks, however, contained around 30 microplastics per litre, lemonade 40 and beer around 60.
Because there is no reference level for a potentially toxic amount of microplastics, it was not possible to say whether these figures represent a health risk, Anses said.
But drink manufacturers could easily reduce the amount of microplastics shed by bottle caps, it added.
The agency tested a cleaning method involving blowing the caps with air, then rinsing them with water and alcohol, which reduced contamination by 60 per cent.
The study released by Anses was published online in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis in May. AFP
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
UK MPs debate assisted dying law ahead of key vote
Protesters for and against the assisted dying Bill demonstrated outside Parliament in London on June 13. PHOTO: EPA-EFE LONDON - British lawmakers debated whether to allow assisted dying for terminally ill people ahead of a knife-edge vote on June 20 that could see the country take a major step towards legalising euthanasia. Protesters for and against the legislation demonstrated outside Parliament , as inside MPs packed out the lower House of Commons Chamber to consider one of Britain's most emotive and significant bills in years. MPs will either approve sending the legislation to the upper House of Lords for the next step – and further scrutiny – or end it entirely during a crucial vote expected around 2.30pm in London (9.30pm Singapore time). Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who has proposed the Bill , said changing the law would 'offer a compassionate and safe choice' for terminally ill people. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow assisted suicide in England and Wales for adults with an incurable illness who have a life expectancy of fewer than six months. They would have to be able to administer the life-ending substance themselves, and any patient's wish to die would have to be signed off by two doctors and a panel of experts. A change in the law would see Britain emulate several other countries in Europe and elsewhere that allow some form of assisted dying, including Belgium and the Netherlands. Advertisement ban Supporters say euthanasia would give the terminally ill greater protections and choice at the end of their lives, but critics worry that vulnerable people could be coerced into dying. Outside in Parliament Square, protesters waved placards with slogans including 'Let us choose' and 'Don't make doctors killers'. Mr David Walker, 82, said he supported changing the law because he saw his wife of 60 years suffer for three years at the end of her life. 'That's why I'm here, because I can't help her anymore, but I can help other people who are going through the same thing, because if you have no quality of life, you have nothing,' he told AFP. 52-year-old doctor Elizabeth Burden said she feared the Bill could open 'a floodgate' of people being forced to end their lives and urged the government to focus on providing palliative care instead. 'It is a slippery slope. Once we allow this. Everything will slip down because dementia patients, all patients... are vulnerable,' she told AFP. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater argues that changing the law will 'offer a compassionate and safe choice' for terminally ill people. A YouGov poll of 2,003 adults, surveyed in May and published on June 19 , suggested the public overwhelmingly supports changing the law, with 73 per cent in favour. MPs backed the proposed legislation by 330 to 275 votes at an initial vote in Parliament in November 2024. Since then , the Bill has undergone several changes, including applying a ban on advertisements for assisted dying and allowing all health workers to opt out of helping someone end their life. MPs have also added a safeguard which would prevent a person being eligible 'solely as a result of voluntarily stopping eating or drinking', ruling out people with anorexia. Several lawmakers in the 650-seat Parliament have subsequently switched positions, and parties are not telling them how to vote, making the outcome difficult to predict. Undecideds An ITV News tracker of around half the parliamentarians estimates that 162 MPs plan to vote for changing the law, with 152 against. Some 22 remain undecided , with another 23 due to abstain. Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords need to approve the legislation before the end of the current parliamentary year, likely sometime in the autumn, or the Bill will fail. If it passes and receives royal assent, then it would be four years before an assisted dying service is implemented. A government impact assessment published in June estimated that approximately 160 to 640 assisted deaths could take place in the first year, rising to a possible 4,500 in a decade. If he votes, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to vote in favour , but several of his top ministerial team, including the health and justice secretaries, have publicly opposed changing the law. Assisted suicide currently carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Separate legislation is going through the devolved Scottish Parliament , while the Isle of Man at the end of March became the first British territory to pass an assisted dying bill. UK MPs last considered changing the law in 2015 and Ms Leadbeater warned it could be another decade before the issue returns to Parliament if MPs reject her Bill . AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Straits Times
Up to 50 times more microplastics in glass bottles than plastic, study shows
A researcher inspecting pieces of microplastic collected from the River Rhone in Arles, southern France. PHOTO: AFP Up to 50 times more microplastics in glass bottles than plastic, study shows PARIS – Drinks including water, soda, beer and wine sold in glass bottles contain more microplastics than those in plastic bottles, according to a surprising study released by France's food safety agency on June 20. Researchers have detected these tiny, mostly invisible pieces of plastic throughout the world, from the air we breathe to the food we eat, as well as riddled throughout human bodies. There is still no direct evidence that this preponderance of plastic is harmful to human health, but a burgeoning field of research is aiming to measure its spread. Dr Guillaume Duflos, research director at French food safety agency Anses, said the team sought to 'investigate the quantity of microplastics in different types of drinks sold in France and examine the impact different containers can have'. The researchers found an average of around 100 microplastic particles per litre in glass bottles of soft drinks, lemonade, iced tea and beer. That was five to 50 times higher than the rate detected in plastic bottles or metal cans. 'We expected the opposite result,' PhD student Iseline Chaib, who conducted the research, said. 'We then noticed that in the glass, the particles emerging from the samples were the same shape, colour and polymer composition – so therefore the same plastic – as the paint on the outside of the caps that seal the glass bottles,' she said. The paint on the caps also had 'tiny scratches, invisible to the naked eye, probably due to friction between the caps when they were stored', Anses said in a statement. This could then 'release particles onto the surface of the caps', it added. Wine fine For water, both flat and sparkling, the amount of microplastic was relatively low in all cases, ranging from 4.5 particles per litre in glass bottles to 1.6 particles in plastic. Wine also contained few microplastics – even glass bottles with caps. Dr Duflos said the reason for this discrepancy 'remains to be explained'. Soft drinks, however, contained around 30 microplastics per litre, lemonade 40 and beer around 60. Because there is no reference level for a potentially toxic amount of microplastics, it was not possible to say whether these figures represent a health risk, Anses said. But drink manufacturers could easily reduce the amount of microplastics shed by bottle caps, it added. The agency tested a cleaning method involving blowing the caps with air, then rinsing them with water and alcohol, which reduced contamination by 60 per cent. The study released by Anses was published online in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis in May. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Straits Times
Malaysia records first Covid-19 death of 2025
To date, a total of 21,738 Covid-19 cases have been recorded. PHOTO: AFP PETALING JAYA - Malaysia has recorded its first Covid-19 death in 2025. The Health Ministry said that the death occurred during Epidemiological Week 24, that spanned from June 8 to June 15. 'The individual had serious comorbidities, which were heart disease and diabetes, with the deceased also not taking the second booster vaccine shot,' the ministry said in a statement on June 19. The ministry added that this was a drastic drop compared to the 57 deaths in 2024. 'The last Covid-19 related death was recorded on May 26, 2024. This shows the effective control steps taken by the ministry,' it said. It added that six Covid-19 cases had been admitted to ICU wards with patients suffering from comorbidities. 'All cases were closely monitored with care, with all patients discharged from ICU wards. Four were allowed to return home, with two transferred to normal wards,' it said. To date, a total of 21,738 Covid-19 cases have been recorded. 'However, there has been an increase in Week 24 with 3,379 cases compared to the 2,011 cases recorded during the prior week. This is a 68 per cent increase,' it said, adding that the situation remains controlled. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
