Plastic found in bottled beers ‘likely to come from water supply’

BOTTLED beer has been found to contain microplastics, which experts believe is a result of the water used to make the drink, according to a study.

Environmentally damaging materials were found in a number of beers, fizzy drinks and iced tea, following analysis by researchers from Instituto Politécnico Nacional in Mexico City.

Scientists tested 57 samples from 27 different brands and found that all but nine contained some form of microplastic. One sample of cold tea was found to contain six different plastic particles. None of the brands were identified in the study.

Although some particles were too small to identify precisely, nearly all were believed to have come directly from the water used to make the drinks, though some may have leaked from the containers themselves.

Scientists suggested the materials would eventually go back into the water supply, risking damage to wildlife and the surrounding environment.

Beer and soft drinks, which used the most water in their production, were most likely to contain multiple pieces of microplastic.

On average, beverages require three to four litres of fresh water to produce one litre of soft drink and at least as much to produce and clean the containers they are sold in.

Each of four samples of iced tea contained microplastics, along with all but three of 26 brands of beer, all but three of 19 soft drink samples, and five of the eight energy drinks tested.

The kind of polymer in the plastics suggested most came in the water supply used to make the drinks, but some may have originated from the plastic used in the container and some from the plastic used in the lids or caps.

“The use of different water bodies could be one of the main sources of microplastic contamination in beverage products,” the researchers said. Processes such as washing bottles and work areas “might have an influence on microplastics contamination, too”.

They added: “Combining together, it is recognised that water can be a source of microplastic contamination in these products.”

The scientists called for further research on the potential health effects of digesting microplastics.

“It is evident that microplastics accumulate in various levels, meaning that they can biomagnify up the food chain and potentially put consumers at risk,” they wrote. “Consequently, concerns are rising about the presence of microplastics in diverse food products and their intake by humans.

“It is presumed that human health effects from microplastics are unlikely, but the long-term exposure to ingestion of contaminated particles is largely unknown.

“However, the current evidence urges investigations on the long-term impact of the continuous intake of microplastics by humans.”

The study was reported in the journal Science of the Total Environment.