Most of us believe that drinking water or soft drinks packed in glass bottles are safer than plastic bottles. But the recent report by France’s Food Security Agency Anses has completely denied the notion. A research conducted by this agency claims that glass bottles have found 50 times more microplastic particles than plastic or metal bottles.
What is the conclusion of this research?
According to this study, glass bottles of beverages such as cold drinks, lemonade, ice tea and beer were found to be about 100 microplastic particles per liter per liter per liter, which is several times more than particles in plastic or metal containers. At the same time, this number in plastic bottles remained around 1.6 particles per liter.
This study has recently been published in ‘Journal of Food Composition and Analysis’. Isleen Chab, the chief researcher of this research, admitted that he was not expecting this result at all. He believed that glass bottles would be much more secure than plastic, but the results were reversed.
Researcher’s surprise
“We hoped that the glass bottles would contain very small amounts of microplastic. But we found that most particle bottles have the same structure of the colors and external paint of the bottles,” Isleen Chab said. He further explained that these particles are separating from the paint or coating of the lid of glass bottles and are getting into the beverages. This is the reason that the amount of microplastic in glass bottles is so high.
Most particles were found in beer bottles – an average of 60 microplastic particles per liter. After this, lemonade bottles were located, in which about 40 percent of the particles were found. At the same time, the amount of microplastic particles in normal and sparkling water bottles was found to be the lowest – 4.5 particles per liter in glass bottles and 1.6 particles per liter in plastic bottles.
Researchers say that the amount of microplastic in wine bottles was found relatively low as these bottles are closed with cork stopper, not with a metal or plastic lid.
What is the solution?
Anses Research Director Gilaum Duflos said the results of this study have shocked everyone. At present, the reason behind this hypothesis is not completely clear. However, he also reported that the number of microplastic particles present in the bottles was reduced by about three times when wash the bottles with water, ethanol and then water. That is, this easy process can reduce this problem to a great extent.
Rising plastic problem
Plastic production was only 1.5 million tonnes in the 1950s, while in 2022 it has increased to 400.3 million tonnes. Not only has the garbage increased due to the increasing demand for plastic items, especially single use plastic products, but also the terrestrial and aquatic environment of the Earth has also been badly affected by it.
Microplastic particles – whose size is less than 5 millimeters – today from the depths of the sea to the world’s highest mountain range Mount Everest, everywhere. These particles are found in the body of marine organisms, fish, birds, now it is being presented in the placenta of the human brain and even the fetus.
Health threat to health
Scientists believe that microplastic particles can go into the body and cause many types of health problems. These include serious problems such as hormonal imbalance, cancer apprehension, impact on immune system and obstruction of brain development. However, more research is still needed on this.
Advice to consumers to take precautions
After this study, experts have advised consumers to take extra precautions while consuming bottled beverages. Also, manufacturers also need to pay attention to the quality of bottles lids and external coating so that microplastic leakage can be minimized.
What is the option?
Experts believe that completely avoiding microplastic has become almost impossible to date. But if companies adopt biodegradable or plant-based packaging options and reduce the manufacture of single-use plastic products, then this crisis can be reduced to a great extent. This research has made it clear that it would be wrong to consider glass bottles completely safe. While we used to think till now that plastic bottles are the most harmful, now it has been learned that there are no threats in glass bottles. The biggest reason for this is the bottles’ lids and microplastic particles emanating from their outer layers. This research is a warning not only for consumers but also for policy makers, industry and environmentalists to find alternative solutions as soon as possible, so that the coming generations can be protected from this invisible mesh of microplastic.
