Drinks in glass bottles contain more microplastics than those in other containers
www.anses.fr
Drinks contained in glass bottles contain more microplastic particles than those in plastic bottles, cartons or cans. This was the surprising finding of a study conducted by the Boulogne-sur-Mer unit of the ANSES Laboratory for Food Safety. The scientists hypothesised that these plastic particles could come from the paint used on bottle caps. These findings have highlighted a source of microplastics in drinks that manufacturers can easily address.
  • Tim_Bisley@piefed.socialEnglish
    14·
    7 days ago

    The scientists investigated the origin of the microplastics found in drinks packaged in glass bottles with caps. Given their characteristics, they concluded that these particles probably came from the metal caps, and more specifically from the paint that covered them. The first clue: the microplastics found in the drinks were mostly the same colour and had the same composition as the paint on the caps. The second clue: the paint on these caps had tiny scratches that were invisible to the naked eye and had probably been caused by friction between the caps when they were stored before use. This friction, which released particles from the surface of the caps, was thought to be the source of the microplastics found.

    The article doesn’t go into detail about how the microplastics are going from the exterior caps to the interior of the bottle? The cap should be sealed.

    • limer@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      10·
      7 days ago

      I think the plastic particles is a contaminant covering the cap on both sides. In the last section they mentioned the level dropped three times after washing the cap before sealing

    • altphoto@lemmy.todayEnglish
      2·
      6 days ago

      For what is worth I’ve studied a few soft metals under the microscope. It is incredibly easy to scratch and make particles. I mean unbelievably easy.

      So think up, what happens when you scrape food like eggs from your non stick pan? How about those aluminum or steel pans using stainless utensils? How about the plastic forks and spoons at the fair or from a food truck? Literally everything I can think of using is creating micro particles. Maybe if the utensils were made or coated in edible films?