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Microplastics have already been found in water supplies around the world and in some of the world’s largest bottled water brands. And now, it seems, they have found their way into beer.New research, published in the journal Public Library of Science in April, revealed scientists have detected microplastics in the liquid of 12 American beers. While the beers were not named specifically, they were all pilsners and the location where the beers are made was disclosed in the study. The studyThe latest study detected microplastics in 12 different beer brands which used water from the Laurentian Great Lakes �� Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.On average, the beers were found to contain four particles of plastic per liter, while the worst brand had 14 particles per liter. Most of these particles were plastic fibers between 0.1��5 mm in length.Is there a link between plastic in beer and drinking water?“Even though the average number of particles found in beer (4.05 particle per liter) was similar to the average number of particles found in tap water (5.45 particles per liter), not even a weak correlation could be drawn when comparing the results from specific beer brands to their corresponding municipal tap water supply,�� the study states.“In fact, the highest and lowest counts in this study came from two beers that were brewed in the same city using the same municipal water supply.”More research is now required into the process of beer production to determine where the contaminants come from. This study was not able to find conclusive proof that plastic in beer is linked to drinking water.What are microplastics?The National Ocean Service defines "microplastics" as pieces of plastic that are less than five millimeters long, and can be harmful to our environment. Microfibers from clothes, microbeads in cosmetic products and pre-production pellets are all examples of these small particles of plastic.