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Bottles of sport beverage with diferent tastes and kombucha

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Have you ever wondered what’s inside the coating inside that glass bottle cap of your mineral water, kombucha, or apple juice? Close to 300 beverages were tested and phthalates & vinyl were found in most of them. But never fear! Mamavation is here to help you sort it out! You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like safest cookware, safest tea without plastic in the sachets, and safest collagen brands, now join us for an investigation looking at the material contents of glass beverage bottle caps finding phthalates & PVC. We ranked all of them to showcase which were the best non-toxic glass bottle brands at the bottom of this post for you.

Disclosure: This post has been medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN. This post also contains affiliate links. 

Close up of bottle caps in hands

NGOs Find Phthalates & PVC in Most Glass Beverage Bottle Caps

Our partners at Defend Our Health & The Ecology Center tested the contents of close to 300 glass beverage bottle caps (also known as cap gaskets) and found most of them contained phthalates and/or PVC.

This sampling represented 141 unique brands of soda, kombucha, juice, water, dairy, and ready-to-drink tea and coffee. They were all sold in glass bottles and all available for purchase in the United States and Canada.

Of all the beverages tested, 49% of beverage brands contained phthalates in the bottle cap liners and was found across the industry in various categories of drinks offered. Specifically, they found DEHP, DINP, and DIDP types of phthalates inside bottle caps.

  • 52% of soda beverages tested positive for ortho-phthalates
  • 42% of smaller-company products tested positive for ortho-phthalates
  • 41% of organic products tested positive for ortho-phthalates
  • 40% of kombucha products tested positive for ortho-phthalates

Vinyl plastic was found in the bottle caps (cap gaskets) of ninety brands or two-thirds of those tested. Vinyl, or PVC, has been dubbed the “poison plastic” because of it’s toxic hazards.

  • 100% of ready-to-drink coffee brands tested positive for vinyl
  • 74% of ready-to-drink tea brands tested positive for vinyl
  • 76% of juices and juice drinks tested positive for vinyl
  • 75% of glass bottled brands purchased from dollar stores tested positive for vinyl

However, there is some good news because 51 brands tested “clean” having only non-vinyl plastic, most of them being polyethylene, the least toxic choice. The bottom of this investigation will spell out which brands had which: phthalates & vinyl, just vinyl, or neither and likely polyethylene.

glass bottles with reflection and different colored liquids

Health Impacts of Phthalates

Evidence over the years points to many serious implications of phthalate contamination in consumer products as they are hormone-disrupting chemicals. It’s true that most Americans will have measurable amounts of ortho-phthalates inside their bodies making them ubiquitous, which is one of the reasons why they are dubbed the “everywhere chemical” by scientists and researchers.

Phthalates are widely used to soften vinyl plastic and rubber in food contact surfaces and materials, which is why they are found in most Americans. They are considered androgen mimickers, which means when they get inside your body they slow the production of male sex hormones, such as testosterone, and alter thyroid function. This is why they are so closely linked to male infertility and the “feminization” of baby boys. Here are more of their impacts:

Most of the exposure to phthalates comes through the following avenues:

  • Food–primarily processed food, food served at restaurants, or anything that has been in plastic packaging
  • Dairy fat (the higher the fat, the more phthalates can be present because of the piping and processing it goes through and the fact that phthalates transport inside fat. So if you cut out dairy fat, you cut out phthalates.)
  • Indoor air dust (consumer products off-gas phthalates and it attaches to dust like a magnet, so get dusting to get rid of phthalates)
  • Not washing your hands before you eat (because dust gets on your hands and is transferred to your food)
  • Working in different industries that utilize phthalates

Luckily, this chemical does not build up in our bodies over time, so reducing exposure will mean reducing the amount you have in your body on a daily basis.

Bottle caps in a circle like the globe

Health & Environmental Impacts of Vinyl (Or PVC)

Polyvinyl chloride, also known as vinyl or PVC, is one of the worst plastics polluting the planet. Its use, from production to disposal, creates environmental hazards because it’s loaded with toxic chemicals.

  • 57% of PVC consists of chlorine, which is a deadly gas produced by chemical plants.
  • Two chemicals that are known to cause cancer that is used to make PVC are ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride.
  • PVC plastic pollution emits more greenhouse gas emissions than other plastics due to the extensive energy needed to make chlorine and polymers.
  • Chemical additives are released during the use of vinyl plastics in consumer’s homes.
  • Flexible vinyl requires plasticizers, mostly phthalates, which are often present in high amounts, as well as chemicals like bisphenol-A (BPA).
  • Stabilizers used to make vinyl plastic include other hormonally active chemicals like organotins
  • Less than 1% of vinyl plastic is recycled due to its toxic nature
  • Vinyl plastic in landfills releases chemical additives over time into the air and groundwater
  • Open burning and waste incineration produces dioxins and furans

golden bottle caps on table

Problems With Phthalates & PVC Inside Bottle Cap Liners

Bottle caps of glass beverages contaminated with phthalates & PVC create environmental and public health concerns impacting millions in the United States and Canada. Here are some of the key issues they present:

  1. Product Contamination–Phthalates, especially ortho-phthalates, are hormone-disrupting chemicals known to impact fertility, increase rates of cancer, heart disease, impact the development in children, especially brain development which can increase rates of ADHD, and anti-social behavior in children. These contaminants are precisely what the consumer is trying to avoid by purchasing glass bottles in the first place. Not fair!
  2. Toxic Rim Exposure–These caps leave chemical residues on the rims of the beverage which is swallowed once it’s used. In other words, unless you wipe the rim down right away and assuming the beverage was never sitting on its side where the contents can mix into your beverage, you’ll be drinking your beverage with a side of hormone-disrupting chemicals.
  3. Environmental Releases–Bottle caps with vinyl liners release phthalates and vinyl into the environment when disposed. Especially when these bottle caps are recycled or incinerated, toxic byproducts (like highly toxic chlorinated dioxins and furans) are released into the environment impacting workers and people who live in the surrounding area.

If you would like to make an impact, consider signing this petition sending your thoughts to Martinelli’s Apple Juice to stop ignoring this issue and fix their problem! (Martinelli’s has ignored this so far!)

 

Bunch of green glass bottles

Mamavation’s Investigation of Glass Bottle Caps

Mamavation used the report “Capped with Toxins” to create a ranking system with three levels to analyze close to 300 products. The “Not Our Favorite” ranking is comprised of companies that tested positive for phthalates and vinyl inside the bottle cap, the “better” category only contained vinyl in the bottle cap, and the “best” category didn’t have either.

We also vetted this list against another investigation testing PFAS in mineral & sparkling waters and called out the brands that tested over 1 ppt PFAS with an*. These brands were also put in the “not our favorite” category.

Bottle caps made of plastic with phthalates and vinyl

Not Our Favorite Glass Bottle Brands

This category contains products that were tested in an EPA-certified lab and found to have bottle caps that were contaminated with phthalates and vinyl. This section also includes mineral waters that tested over 1ppt of PFAS in another study. Please note, some brands have products in different categories.

  • Baba’s Bucha Believe Kombucha
  • BAWLS Guarana Ginger
  • Bea’s Squeeze Pink Rose Lemonade
  • Boylan Orange Soda
  • Boylan Lime Seltzer
  • Boylan Sparkling Lemonade
  • Bruce Cost Ginger Ale Passion Fruit with Tumeric
  • Cadia Italian Mineral Water Citrus Flavored 1 L
  • *Canada Dry Club Soda (Note: this brand was found to have 1.24 ppt PFAS in another study looking at sparkling mineral water, however, they did not have any phthalates or vinyl in their bottle caps.)
  • Capt’n Eli’s Ginger Beer
  • Capt’n Eli’s Root Beer
  • Caruso’s Dark Cream Italian Style Soda
  • Chameleon’s Organic Cold Brew Lightly Sweetened Coffee Mexican
  • DG Jamaican Soft Drink Ginger Beer 12 fl oz
  • Fever Tree Ginger Ale
  • Fever Tree Premium Club Soda 16.9 fl oz
  • Fever Tree Premium Ginger Beer
  • Giant Black Cherry Cream Soda
  • Goya Fruit Punch Soda
  • Goya Ginger Beer
  • Goya Malta Goya Malt Beverage
  • Guayaki Organic Yerba Mate Unsweetened Traditional Terere
  • Guayaki Organic Yerba Mate Passion Terere
  • Guayaki Organic Yerba Mate Raspberry Terere
  • Hank’s Gourmet Vanilla Cream Soda
  • Harney & Sons Organic Black, Energizing Black Tea
  • Henry Weinhard’s Black Cherry Cream Soda 12 fl oz
  • Humm Strawberry Lemonade Kombucha
  • Humm Pomegranate lemonade kombucha
  • Izze Sparkling Apple Juice
  • Izze Sparkling Pomegranate Juice
  • Izze Sparkling Blackberry Juice
  • Kater Wingman Original Lime Sparkling Water
  • Kist Mango Cordial
  • Live Kombucha Lemon Lime
  • Lucky Jack Nitro Cold Brew Coffee Old School (organic)
  • Maine Root Beer
  • Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple Juice
  • Martinelli’s Organic sparkling apple juice
  • Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple-Grape 100% juice 250 mL
  • Martinelli’s Sparkling White Grape
  • Matchabar Hustle Matcha Tea Mint
  • MD Passion fruit cordial fruit drink
  • Me & The Bees Lemonade with Prickly Pear
  • O Organics Pink grapefruit-flavored organic Italian soda
  • O-SO Grape Soda
  • O-SO Strawberry Soda
  • Open Nature 100% Juice Cranberry Juice
  • Peloton Cascara Tea, Peach + Ginger
  • Peloton Cascara Tea, Original Lightly Sweetened
  • *Perrier Sparkling Water (Note: this brand was tested in another study and found to have 1.1 ppt PFAS, but they did NOT have any phthalates or vinyl in the bottle caps)
  • Pura Fruta Mango Nectar
  • Pura Fruta Ponche de Frutas Tropical Fruit Punch
  • Reed’s Ginger Ale
  • Reed’s Craft Ginger Beer Extra
  • Reed’s Original Ginger Brew
  • Reed’s Orginal Craft Ginger Brew
  • Rise Kombucha Fresh Ginger
  • Salvavidas Tangerine Flavored Soft Drink
  • Signature Select French-style sparkling lemonade flavored
  • Simple Truth Organic Italian Soda Tangerine 25.4 fl oz
  • Simple Truth Organic Italian Soda Sicilian Lemon 750 mL
  • Stumptown Coffee Original Cold Brew Coffee 10.5 fl oz
  • Tea Horse Road Seven Organic White Peach Oolong
  • Ting Carbonated Beverage from Grapefruit Concentrate
  • Ting Sparkling Grapefruit Flavored Beverage
  • Ting Grapefruit Sparkling Beverage
  • *Topo Chico Mineral Water (Note: this brand was found to have 9.76 ppt PFAS in another study so we would avoid it, however, it did not have any phthalates or vinyl in the bottle cap)
  • *Topo Chico Twist of Grapefruit Carbonated Mineral Water (Note: this brand was found to have 9.76 ppt PFAS in another study so we would avoid it, however, it did not have any phthalates or vinyl in the bottle cap)
  • *Topo Chico Carbonated Mineral Water 750 mL (Note: this brand was found to have 9.76 ppt PFAS in another study so we would avoid it, however, it did not have any phthalates or vinyl in the bottle cap)
  • Tree Fort Root Beer
  • Virgil’s Root Beer
  • WBC Craft Sodas Organge Cream
  • WBC Craft Sodas Black Cherry
  • WBC Craft Sodas Vanilla Cream
  • Whole Foods Citrus Blend Italian Sparkling Mineral Water (in process of fixing bottle caps, however, it’s not happened yet)
  • Whole Foods Lime Mint Elderflower Italian Sparkling Mineral Water (in process of fixing bottle caps, however, it’s not happened yet)
  • Wild Mango Peach Kombucha
  • Wild Kombucha elderberry (organic)

Bottle caps without phthalates but still have vinyl

Better Glass Bottle Brands

These products were tested in an EPA-certified lab and contained detectable PVC, but had no detectable phthalates. Please note, some brands have products in different categories.

  • 7-Select Organic Lemonade Original
  • 7-Select GO! Smart organic cold-pressed juice Clean & Green 100% Vegetable and Fruit Juice Blend
  • 7-Select GO! Smart organic cold-pressed juice Tropical Glow 100% Fruit Juice Blend
  • 7-Select Organic Lemonade Strawberry
  • Allegro Coffee Straight Black
  • Boylan Ginger Ale
  • BWell Bird’s Nest with Honey Drink
  • Calypso Ocean Blue Lemonade
  • Calypso Strawberry Lemonade
  • Chicha Limena Chicha Morada drink
  • Circle K Favorites Premium Iced Coffee
  • Doc’s Tea Organic Rooibos Tea, Unfiltered Mango, Premium Micro-Brewed
  • Giant Ginger Beer
  • Goldthread Plant-Based Tonics: Green Minerals
  • Grace Tropical Rhythms Pineapple Ginger Juice Drink
  • Honest Organic “Just” Green Tea
  • Honest Organic Just Black Tea
  • Honest Organic Lori’s Lemon Tea
  • Hubert’s Lemonade Berry Lemonade
  • Hubert’s Lemonade Lemonade
  • Hubert’s Lemonade Original Lemonade
  • Hubert’s Lemonade Strawberry Lemonade
  • Inca’s Food Nectar De Maracuya
  • Izze Sparkling Grapefruit Juice
  • Izze Sparkling Clementine Flavored Juice Beverage
  • Izze Sparkling Pomegranate Juice
  • Joe Tea Half Lemonade Half Lemon Tea
  • Joe Tea Low Sugar Green Tea
  • Joe Tea Peach
  • Joe’s Classic Lemonade 20 fl oz
  • Lakewood Organic Juice Pure Lime
  • Lakewood Organic pure lemon juice
  • Lakewood Organic Pure Pineapple Juice
  • Looza Mango Juice Drink from Concentrate
  • Maaza Lychee juice drink
  • Martinelli’s Organic Apple Juice
  • Martinelli’s Apple juice
  • Martinelli’s Gold Medal Cider
  • Mira Mango Nectar
  • Mother Raspberry Rose Apple Cider Vinegar Beverage
  • Nantucket Nectars Pineapple Orange Banana Juice (Company has plans to change bottle caps, but no timeline as of yet)
  • Nantucket Nectars Pomegranate cherry (company has plans to change bottle caps, but no timeline as of yet)
  • Nature’s Promise Organic Cold Pressed Juice – berry the lead
  • Nature’s Promise Organic Cold Pressed Juice – tropical conversation
  • Nifty Chocolate Caramel Nitro Cold Press Coffee
  • Pepsi-Cola made with real sugar
  • Pure Leaf Organic Black Tea w/ Sicilian Lemon & Honeysuckle
  • Pure Leaf Tea House Collection Organic Fuji Apple & Ginger
  • Pure Leaf Cold Brew Tea Slightly Sweet Black Tea with tropical mango
  • R.W. Knudsen Organic Cranberry Pomegranate
  • Reed’s Craft Ginger Beer Extra
  • Reed’s Craft Ginger Beer
  • Santa Cruz Organic Pure Lemon Juice
  • Smart Juice Organic Pomegranate 100% Juice
  • Snapple All Natural Peach tea (company has plans to change bottle caps, but no timeline as of yet)
  • Snapple Kiwi Strawberry Tea (company has plans to change bottle caps, but no timeline as of yet)
  • Sprecher Ginger Ale
  • Sprecher Root Beer
  • Sprecher Craft sparkling water ripe strawberry
  • Spring Grove Soda Pop Rhu-berry
  • Spring Grove Soda Pop Root Beer
  • Starbucks Frappuccino
  • Starbucks Vanilla frappuccino
  • Starbucks Vanilla Latte
  • Starbucks Cold Brew Cocoa & Honey Coffee Drink
  • Starbucks Frappuccino Almond Beverage
  • Starbucks Frappuccino Caramel
  • Starbucks Frappuccino chilled coffee drink
  • Sun Yun Tong Sour Plum Drink Osmanthus Flavor
  • Tazo Organic Iced Green Tea
  • Tazo Iced Black Tea
  • Teavana Craft Iced Tea Peach Green Tea
  • Tonica Kombucha Ginger
  • Tonica Kombucha Ginger Lime
  • Tonica Kombucha Goji Grapefruit
  • Victor Allen’s Coffee Iced Latte Chilled Coffee Drink
  • Victor Allen’s Coffee Vanilla Ice Latte chilled coffee drink
  • WBC Craft Sodas Chicago Style Root Beer
  • WBC Craft Sodas Spicy Ginger
  • Welch’s Sparkling Red Grape Juice Cocktail
  • Wonder Drink Kombucha organic cherry
  • Young Hua Coconut Fruit Yogurt Drink
  • Yoohoo Chocolate Drink 12 fl oz

Drinks in glass bottles isolated on whiteBest Glass Bottle Brands

These products were tested in an EPA-certified lab and did not contain any PVC or phthalate contamination in the bottle caps. The contents of the bottle cap liners were mostly polyethylene. Please note we did not assess ingredients in this investigation, only packaging.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. dordle

    This sampling included 141 distinct kinds of soda, kombucha, juice, water, dairy, and tea and coffee that were ready to drink. They were all offered for sale in glass bottles and could be bought in both the US and Canada.

    Reply

  2. Sergei

    I got that GT kombucha caps have a polyethylene inserts, but cannot get from the Internet what is white part is made from. Trying to figure out if there is any way to recycle them))

    Reply

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