A 2024 study by France’s food safety agency, ANSES, published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, found that glass bottles contain more microplastics than plastic ones, challenging assumptions about packaging safety.

Analyzing drinks like soda, beer, and lemonade, researchers discovered glass bottles averaged around 92 microplastic particles per liter, five to 50 times higher than plastic bottles or cans.

The culprit? Painted metal caps, which shed microplastics due to friction during storage.

Water and wine showed lower contamination, with glass bottles at 4.5 particles per liter.

While health risks remain unclear due to lacking toxicity thresholds, a simple cleaning method - blowing and rinsing caps - reduced contamination by 60%. This finding urges manufacturers to rethink cap designs to minimize microplastic exposure in beverages.