Are there any potential health risk connected with drinking beer from plastic PET bottles?
The beer in many countries, including Germany, is widely available in plastic recyclable bottles. Does it have any negative impact on health?
asked Jan 21 '14 at 21:16
Plastic food packaging in general is usually lined with Bisphenol A (aka. BPA), as are some canned goods, which is a rather controversial chemical. It's been linked to cancer, sexual dysfunction, and other ailments. So I try to avoid it whenever possible and buy my food in glass jars. I can only imagine how much BPA is dissolved into alcoholic beverages which are bottled in plastic or cans, being that alcohol is corrosive. I learned that lesson when I tried cleaning my GameBoy with rubbing alcohol as a kid. So I try to avoid alcohol bottled in plastic and canned alcohol as well.
The thing you have to realize is that plastic isn't really a solid, but a very viscous liquid. Glass is also a liquid, but it's much more viscous than plastic. That's why if you've ever been in a building that's a couple hundred years old, the glass on the windows is thicker at the bottom of the glass panes. Since both are liquids, they're obviously going to get into your drink. However, glass is a natural substance while plastic is not, so I trust it more.
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I've heard that drinking beer lowers sexual desire. Maybe it's BPA-reletad. But it's a good topic for separate question. – Danubian Sailor Jan 21 '14 at 21:37
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It probably does...but it's too good to give up. Best for a separate topic. – audiFanatic Jan 21 '14 at 21:41
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The glass in windows flowing thing is actually an urban legend. Yes, the glass is thicker on the bottom, because the technology of making the sheets of glass was flawed, and setting glass in windows was easier with thicker side down. You'd need more than a few hundred years for measurable glass flow effects. – SF. Jan 24 '14 at 7:58
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Ethanol is not corrosive. Glass is certainly not a liquid at room temperature, and neither are the plastics we're discussing. BPA might be a problem, but if it is, it isn't because plastic is a liquid. Ethanol does increase BPA solubility in water at relatively low concentrations (~10%) per researchgate.net/post/… – David Mar 3 '17 at 18:08
