"German Beers Contain Plastic"

PVPP should be filtered out by the German Brewers.

Some American Craft Brewers use PVPP and Silica Gel - the beer can also be called Vegan friendly if those are used.They don't typically filter, but dump the sediment from the cone. I am not sure if centrifuging removes those particles, a question for a pro.

 

I would rather drink beer containing plastic than touch ANYTHING in a public restroom. I'm a major germ-o-phobe. Haven't had any issues with beer.

 

As far as the glass shards are concerned, stop and think about the size: up to 600 μm. "Up to" is a very misleading term making one think that there is all this glass that is 6/10ths of a millimeter in size, when in fact that is the maximum size found, and some of it was smaller. How much was there at that size? To get the full picture one needs PPM and gradation. I have a feeling that something that size would pass through without being noticed.

Reminds me a of the woman writing about fish bladders in beer.

 

I would kind of expect to find tiny shatters of glass in a liquid that is stored in glass bottles and often subjected to some kind of force that might cause "microscopic" fractures.

 

Possible scare tactic? Hand me the beer, I'll drink it On a more serious note I'm sure our drinking water contains the same plastic and other materials, even prescription drug effects can be seen on drinking water quality

 

Possible American spin of the findings: BMC [one, two or all three] start a marketing campaign for new "wild" lagers with naturally occuring additives.

 

Wait 'til they hear what's in the Döner Kebab!

 

Well this is the issue. I have no idea whether microplastics pass through humans, but there is some evidence that they accumulate in the cells of other animals/fish. Just google "microplastics accumulate in cells" and read a few papers. I would imagine that a lot of accumulation at the cellular level would be very bad for humans.

This (maybe) makes the issue of plastics different than cow poop in milk etc. I assume cow poop doesn't accumulate in human bodies.

 

Other animals are not necessarily a good indicator of the human metabolism, though. I would also dare say accumulation is not necessarily an issue, either.

And it pretty much depends on the kind of plastic but in most OECD countries the kind of plastic that would be damaging in certain amounts (like certain plastics that are/were used to make toys, tupperware and the likes) is already outlawed and if found in consumables marks them as "contaminated" - i.e. they'll be out of the supply chain before they hit the shelves.

Particularly here in Germany they usually react quite quickly when it comes to such issues - one could even argue that Germany (and other E.U. countries) can even go so far as to be overprotective. I remember when there were contaminated eggs, tomatoes and cucumbers not too long ago. The former were taken out of distribution before they could get anywhere in case of the latter I think the rate of what actually got to the shelves (if any) was minimal.

Also, if that was REALLY such an issue for humans and given how long plastics have been around and used and what kind have been used in the past we would've have seen clear issues (with sufficient causal evidence) by now. Plus, if you're worried about that you should probably worry a lot more about the cosmetic products you use.

 

Pesky humans! Is there any end to the problems they create by working!
In other news, people have to wear plastic gloves in handling fermentation vessels, and sometimes have to use knives while wearing bulky gloves that get clipped. Finings are sometimes made from plastic.
Unless it gets centrifuged as it gets racked to the brite, and again on its way to the packaging line just to be paranoid. The beer will contain stuff. And even then. There is always the room for error and new matter from the bottle caps, to the can lids to the route it takes before being filled being introduced because it is light manufacturing.

 

You should have seen how much sand my son ate last time we went to the beach. An American beach no less.

Plus, German life expectancy is still about two years greater than that of Americans, so it will take a lot more than some alarmist article about micro plastics to convince me not to buy German beer.

 

"Other animals are not necessarily a good indicator of the human metabolism, though." True.

"I would also dare say accumulation is not necessarily an issue, either." Yeah I don't think it is either, at this point at least. Even if it is, I doubt beer is the worst offender.

"some alarmist article about micro plastics to convince me not to buy German beer." Based on the evidence we have now, yes I agree it's kind of alarmist. Some problems could take a while to manifest though.

"Plus, if you're worried about that you should probably worry a lot more about the cosmetic products you use." I do!

 

Again, if that was the case we would have a good amount of credible evidence by now considering how long plastic has been in use. Decades are certainly more than enough time to show whether certain things have adverse effects in the long run or not.

The same applies to cosmetics btw, there's no credible evidence to lend any validity to claims that they have truly adverse effects apart from superficial buildups that mostly affect hair and skin which is mostly linked to non water soluble silicone agents (again, something that has been around for a long time and we've had plenty of experience with)

And again - as for accumulation and the likes go - it's mostly a matter of threshhold. I mean your body can process a variety of toxins if the dosis isn't too high in a short timeframe. And these toxins usually come in much, much higher doses than any of these residual components.

 

I had a big long answer, and then Beer Advocate's lost it when I hit the "More Options" button.... grrr... let's try this again.

I did google "microplastics accumulate in cells". The majority are just saying that microplastics are present in the environment and in some animal tissues. Very few of the articles even attempt to make a toxicological connection between the microplastics and health effects on the organism, and of those the those the results are mixed. None of the articles I saw said anything specific about toxicological effects on humans, apart from untested speculation.

Beer is a food grade product that is already regulated and scutinized and tested by various parties. If there is a toxicological problem with microplastics it will be addressed in due time.

There's nothing particularly unique about German brewing processess vs other places in the world, so I would bet you that microplastics are present in more than just German beers.

What people can imagine versus reality is very often the biggest stumbling point for environmental and risk management work. People fear what they don't understand or can't see. I'm often amazed at what people environmental issues people get alarmed over, while completely ignoring many of the most common proven toxicological hazards right under their noses because they are familiar and common. To be clear I'm not saying you should not worry about the environment or what you put in your body, but based on the evidence so far there are many other things I would concern myself with before microplastics in beer.

 

Only if you knew what's in your tap water and the food you eat.....

 

Yeah, and it amazes me how many people who get their drinking water from private wells have never tested their water. Of those that have tested their water it's pretty rare that they would test for anything more than coliform (i.e. poop bacteria) and total dissolved solids, neither of which means anything regarding man-made chemical or natural contamination (yes, even mother nature can contaminate your water). For some people beer would actually be a water quality upgrade, regardless of microplastics.

 

I don't buy this as a blanket statement, it depends on how easy it is to screen out other factors, measure amounts in the body, etc. Hell even 30 or 40 years ago they thought lead levels of 40 micrograms per deciliter were relatively safe, and now they know that's not the case, especially for children. And it's pretty easy to measure lead levels in blood.

How long have we been doing microplastics health studies? If the answer is 50, 60, 70 years, then I'd feel more confident saying it's not a problem. If the answer is a couple decades--well, I would think a little less confidence is in order.

 

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

 

I think that's what's left out of this context. Contamination in beer sounds scary. It sounds a lot less scary if beer is no more contaminated than anything else we drink.
Well, maybe not less scary, just less harmful to beer. That's good, because if everything in the world is out to kill us, we need beer for solace.

 

Over the history of beer drinking, beer was a safer beverage than water because it was boiled and the boiling kills microorganisms than potentially are pathogens.

The aspect of plastic in beer (or anything else) is a fairly recent thing. The first plastic was developed in middle of the 1800s and plastic did not become pervasive until later in the 1900s. I would like to read a thorough study of what the effects are of consuming plastic on human pathology; I really don’t think it exists.

A number of folks have commented about things like “wait until you learn about your drinking water”. Fair enough but there are differences between drinking water containing organics and compounds vs. particulates like plastic fibers/fragments/granular materials.

It may very well turn out that consuming plastic fibers/fragments/granular materials is not too big of a deal but I highly doubt the science is there yet on this particular matter.

Maybe others don’t care but I would very much prefer to not consume plastic fibers/fragments/granular materials if it is possible to avoid it.

Cheers!