You thought glass was safer than plastic?
Then you may be in for a disappointment...
Many people choose glass bottles to limit exposure to microplastics. I try to do the same when possible.
But a new ANSES study turns that certainty upside down: some drinks in glass bottles (sodas, beers, iced teas...) could contain up to 50 times more microplastics than the same drinks packaged in plastic.
👉 https://www.anses.fr/en/content/caps-glass-bottles-contaminate-beverages-microplastics
How is that possible?
The problem does not come from the glass itself, but from painted metal caps, often lined with plastics or resins.
These caps release particles before they are even closed, simply through friction, screwing or storage.
The researchers highlighted several key points:
- Up to 100 particles/L in some glass bottles, compared with 2 to 20 in plastic bottles
- Particles coming directly from paints or internal cap linings
- A possible 60% reduction in microplastics by simply cleaning or blowing air over caps before bottling
The real problem?
What actually comes into contact with your drink.
Not just the "noble" material, but the entire packaging system, and also how it is handled.
So what do we do?
Stop thinking in binary terms, "glass = good / plastic = bad", and add some nuance.
Avoid idealising a material without understanding where the real sources of contamination are.
It is not the material itself that is the problem, but how it is used. So you have to check the whole picture!
- the type of cap,
- storage conditions,
- how you serve it (avoid letting the drink touch the cap)
Yes, it is tiring...
But health is not managed with slogans or marketing myths.
It is a chain, and just as in cybersecurity: every link matters.
Take care of yourselves.
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