Led within the framework of a thesis co-funded by the National Agency for Food Safety, Environment and Labor and the Hauts-de-France region, these works were published in mid-May in the specialized journal Journal of Food Composition and Analysis.
More microplastics in glass bottles
The purpose of this research project was to “search for the quantity of microplastic in different types of drinks sold in France and to look at the impact that different containers can have” on this microplastic content, specifies to AFP Guillaume Duflos, research director at ANSES. “”This is the first time that there has been this type of work in France“, he underlines. There came out a presence of a hundred particles of microplastics per liter on average, in the glass bottles of colas, silts, iced teas or beers, levels of contamination five to fifty times higher than those of plastic bottles or cans.
“”We expected an opposite result“, explains to AFP the doctoral student Iseline Chaïb, who carried out this work in the food safety laboratory of the ANSES in Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais).
“”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 polymerical composition, therefore of the same plastic, as the exterior paint of the capsules which close these glass bottles“, She continues.
The storage and painting of the capsules in question?
In addition, the paint of the capsules “has mini-crats, invisible to the naked eye, probably due to friction between the capsules when stored before their use“, noted the team of researchers, believing that this”could release particles on the surface of the capsules“.
For water – mineral or natural – the amount of microplastics has proven “relatively low regardless of its container, with an average of 4.5 particles per liter in glass bottles and 1.6 particles in plastic bottles or bricks“, Details the ANSES.
The wine also contained few microplastics, including in glass bottles with cap, variability whose origin “remains to be explored, except for those contained in capsued glass bottles“Indicates Mr. Duflos.
On the other hand, the Colas contained around thirty particles of microplastics, the lemonades around quarantine and the beers about 80.
Possible alternatives to reduce the number of microparticles
In the absence of reference toxicological data, it is not possible to say whether the quantities of microplastics found present or not a health risk, recalls ANSES. Industrialists can easily take measures to significantly lower the number of particles of microplastics per liter due to capsules, argues the agency.
“We studied three scenarios, explains the doctoral student. We cleaned the bottles and filled them with filtered water so that there is no detectable microplastic, then we encapsulated the bottles either without any treatment of the capsule, or after blowing on the capsule with the help of an airbike, or after blowing air and rinsed the capsules with filtered water and alcohol” explains ISELINE Chaïb. Result: on average, 287 particles per liter are detected in the water of sealed bottles with unresolved capsules. However, this figure decreases considerably to 106 particles per liter when the capsules are blown before being used. This number is further reduced to 87 particles when blowing is followed by rinsing.
Modify capsules storage conditions “before their use to avoid friction“Or even change the composition of capsules paintings could decrease the level of contamination of drinks by microplastics, argues ANSES.