June 30, 2025 – Shocking breaking news comes from a research paper prepared by scientists of France’s Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) that beverages in glass containers may have more microplastics than that of bottled water contained in PET-1 plastic, estimated between 5 and 50 times more by the ANSES.
Our customers know our justification for not using glass containers on Watt-Ahh, including PET-1 plastic protects the electromagnetic nature of Watt-Ahh. In all fairness towards the beverage industry, based on other recent microplastic research, single-serve products in either glass or PET-1 plastic containers are not the primary source of microplastics. Specifically, bottled water also fair well with this recent ANSES study as stated …“In the specific case of water, the level of microplastics was relatively low regardless of the container, with an average of 4.5 particles per litre in glass bottles and 1.6 particles per litre in plastic bottles and cartons.”
The ANSES researchers made the surprising discovery that the source of microplastics in beverage glass containers comes from paint on the metal caps. The colors of the microplastics found in the beverage themselves matched that of both the paint colors and chemical composition used for the metal caps. The liners inside the caps are typically made from polyethylene and other plastic materials (ANSES identifies as the primary source of microplastics in consumable products), and are used to protect soda, lemonade and beer from the metal exposure during both transport and storage. However, the liners will corrode over time. Beverages with lined metal caps including polyethylene-lined aluminum cans and pouches should not be stored in climate-controlled environments for more than six months (less time if stored outside in a garage). Liners are typically not used inside plastic caps for bottled water and can be stored longer in a climate-controlled environment.
One of the head researchers on this recent study states … “In the absence of toxicological reference data, it is not possible to say whether the levels of microplastics found pose a health risk.”