Researchers are sounding the alarm about a drink that more than half of the American population consumes daily.
They say it’s often loaded with microplastics – tiny pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters – which increase the risk of cardiovascular problems, cell damage and certain cancers.
Recent studies claim that these fragments are everywhere, from dust in the air to up to 60% of the food we eat.
But it’s not hopeless: Experts say you can reduce your consumption by simply avoiding plastic kitchen utensils and reheating food storage containers.
And if you’re one of the 159 million Americans who drink a cup of tea daily, new research suggests you’ll want to avoid brands that use plastic tea bags.
Your tea bag loses
The scientists compared brews from 14 brands that used plastic tea bags and 14 brands of loose leaf tea, also called loose leaf tea. Each was steeped for three minutes at 203 degrees Fahrenheit (95 degrees Celsius).
Tea from plastic bags contained between 555 and 2,498 microplastic particles per cup, while loose leaf tea contained only 0.3 to 2.4 particles per cup.
The microplastics in loose leaf tea were a mixture of materials, likely collected through environmental contamination or processing, the researchers said. In contrast, those identified in plastic tea bags were exclusively polyamide fibers – the same material used to make the bags themselves – directly indicating their source.
“Upon contact with hot water, tea bags stop functioning as inert packaging materials and transform into active sources of contamination, releasing thousands of microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals per cup,” the authors wrote this month in npj Science of Food.
Counting particles wasn’t enough: Researchers had to determine which chemicals were leaching into the water. They measured BPA, which disrupts endocrine function and impairs cardiac activity, as well as phthalates, which are linked to endocrine disruption and potentially cancer.
Researchers found BPA and a number of phthalates in bagged tea, although they met safety standards. However, they say these thresholds could be exceeded, particularly for BPA, which they observed at relatively high levels.
“Our study found that BPA intake could reach 21.7% of (European safety limits), a result that serves as a critical warning, especially for vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children,” the Turkish researchers wrote.
BPA can harm fetal development and the physical and behavioral development of children.
Although the results compared to safety standards “appear quantitatively safe, they can be misleading,” the study authors said. “These results do not imply zero risk.”
What brands of tea to buy
This study focused almost exclusively on tea from Turkey, while most tea consumed in the United States comes from Japan, India, Argentina and China.
In the United States, most standard tea bags are made primarily from natural, plant-based materials, but some brands use plastic to seal and structurally reinforce the bags.
Tetley, for its part, said its “tea bags contain a very small amount of plastic to ensure the bags stay closed so you can enjoy your cup of tea” – but has worked “hard to ensure our tea bags are 99% biodegradable”.
Last year, environmental nonprofit Waste Loop reported that Tazo, Celestial Seasonings and Twinings were among the brands offering bags containing plastic, but “many are working to become plastic-free.”
Many tea companies have moved away from petroleum-based plastics and toward a bioplastic called PLA because it is derived from plant sources like cornstarch. Research shows, however, that PLA bags can eliminate microplastics.
Consumer resource PlasticDetox.org reports that some blends from Organic India, Traditional Medicinals and Yogi come in plastic-free bags.
To be safer? Consider loose leaf tea instead.
Gn Health
