Plastic fragments detected in soda bottles by the association Agir pour l’environnement

Dozens of different plastic fragments have been detected in Coca-Cola and Schweppes soda bottles, according to an investigation coordinated by the association Agir pour l’environnement unveiled on Thursday, August 22, reports France Inter. Microparticles and nanoparticles of six different types of plastic were found in Coca-Cola and four types in Schweppes.

These numbers increase when consumers open the plastic bottle multiple times, the study said. “This causes deterioration of the cork”explains Stephen Kerckhove, general director of the association Agir pour l’environnement. “When you open it twenty times, there are 46 plastic fragments per litre of Coca and 62 per litre of Schweppes”he explains.

The association is concerned about the consequences of swallowed plastic nanoparticles, which are 10,000 times smaller than a hair. “There are few studies that allow us to establish a link between the presence of microplastic and a substantial impact on health, but we know that nanoparticles are likely to migrate in the human body by crossing physiological barriers, due to their size.”says Stephen Kerckhove.