#microplastic generation

A new report found a number of micro and nanoplastics in soda bottles, with the number increasing based on how many times the bottle was opened. A French NGO identified six types of plastic in Coca-Cola and Schweppes soda, according to a report published this week.  The organisation Agir pour l’environnment (Act for the Environment) relied on two laboratories to conduct studies on the potential presence of nano and microparticles of plastic when the bottles are opened once, 10, or 20 times to mimic real use. The report included analysis of the plastics with six different polymers identified. […] 'Large quantity' of nanoparticles After the first time the bottles were opened, four microparticles were found for one litre of Coca-Cola and 4.6 microparticles for one litre of Schweppes. After opening the bottles 20 times, 46 microparticles were identified for one litre of Coca-Cola and 62 microparticles for one litre of Schweppes. The author said it may be that the plastic cap degrades leading to more particles as the bottle is increasingly opened. All of the microparticles identified were smaller than 500 micrometres (µm) and a large majority were smaller than 100 µm. Most of the particles linked to the openings were smaller than 50 µm.