Sorry. After reading this, kicking back with that brew might seem a little less relaxing.
Isn't beer one of nature's purest gifts? According to some environmental scientists, this is, unfortunately, becoming less of a reality these days. As one US state attempts to enact more vital water pollution rules, it's prompting some experts to look into what's in your beer. According to new studies on the Great Lakes, your beer may be more polluted than your water.
Micro-plastics are becoming more of a concern these days. More study shows that most of the water we drink—especially bottled water—contains minute plastic particles that humans (and animals) consume daily. Experts believe that these microscopic bits of plastic can enter the water through various routes, including contact with the air, plastic bottles, and the water-packaging process itself.
According to a news story from MLive, a regional Michigan website, California's status as the most populated state is bringing more attention to the issue as lawmakers attempt to adopt legislation to minimize the amount of plastic that gets up in the state's drinking water.
Meanwhile, groups of scientists have spent the last few years investigating how harmful this is to your health... However, this information is likely to make you feel uneasy in any event.
According to Sherri Mason, a sustainability coordinator at Penn State Behrend who studies micro-plastics in the Great Lakes, beer drinkers are incredibly accurate. Mason led a 2018 investigation that discovered micro-plastics in 12 different consumer brands of beer manufactured using Great Lakes water.
This revelation, according to Mason, isn't insignificant. That's because beer made with Great Lakes water contained more micro-plastic particles than tap water. "Any pollution within the beer is not merely from the water used to make the beer itself," Mason and her team discovered.
Another source of micro-plastics in beer, according to Myron Erickson, a public utility director in the city of Wyoming, Michigan, is "... workers and humans creating, handling, and bottling the beer."
Beer in a glass bottle is one approach to help manage your intake of foreign elements. According to some researchers, switching to glass could help mitigate any health risks associated with beverages packaged in aluminum cans.