Researchers are sounding the alarm on a drink that more than half the US population downs daily.
They say it’s often loaded with microplastics — tiny bits of plastic less than 5 millimeters — which have been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular issues, cellular damage and certain cancers.
Recent studies claim that these shards are everywhere, from dust in the air to 60% of the food we eat.
But it’s not hopeless: Experts say you can cut down on your consumption by simply avoiding things like plastic cooking utensils and food storage containers for reheating.
And if you’re one of the 159 million Americans who have a cup of tea daily, new research suggests that you’ll want to stay clear of the brands that use plastic tea bags.
Your teabag is shedding
Scientists compared brews from 14 brands that use plastic tea bags and 14 brands of bulk tea, aka loose-leaf tea. Each was steeped for three minutes at 203 degrees Fahrenheit (95 degrees Celsius).
The tea from plastic bags resulted in an eye-popping 555 to 2,498 microplastic particles per cup, while the loose-leaf tea only had .3 to 2.4 particles per cup.
The microplastics in loose-leaf tea were a mix of materials, likely picked up through environmental contamination or processing, researchers say. In contrast, those identified in plastic-bagged tea were exclusively polyamide fibers — the same material used to make the bags themselves — pointing directly to their source.
“Upon contact with hot water, tea bags cease to function as inert packaging materials and instead 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 the particles wasn’t enough — researchers needed to see which chemicals were leaching into the water. They measured BPA, which has been shown to mess with endocrine function and impair heart activity, and phthalates, linked to endocrine disruption and potentially cancer.
Researchers found BPA and a number of phthalates in the bagged tea, though they were within safety standards. However, they say those thresholds may be outdated — particularly for BPA, which they observed at relatively high levels.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 finding that serves as a critical warning, particularly for vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children,” the Turkish researchers wrote.
BPA can harm fetal development, as well as children’s physical and behavioral development.
While the results compared to safety standards “appear quantitatively safe, it may be misleading,” the study authors said. “These results do not imply zero risk.”
Which tea brands to buy
This study looked almost exclusively at tea from Turkey, whereas most tea consumed in the US comes from Japan, India, Argentina and China.
Most standard tea bags in the US are primarily made from natural plant-based materials, but some brands use plastic to seal and structurally reinforce the bags.
Tetley, for one, has said that its “tea bags do contain a very small amount of plastic to ensure the bags remain closed for you to enjoy your cup of tea” — but has worked “hard to ensure that our tea bags are 99% bio degradable.”
Last year, the environmental nonprofit Waste Loop reported that Tazo, Celestial Seasonings and Twinings are among the brands with bags containing plastic, but “many are working towards becoming plastic free.”
Many tea companies have shifted away from petroleum-based plastics to a bioplastic called PLA because it’s derived from plant sources like cornstarch. Research shows PLA bags can shed microplastics, though.
The consumer resource PlasticDetox.org reports that certain blends of Organic India, Traditional Medicinals and Yogi are in plastic-free bags.
To be safer? Consider loose-leaf tea instead.
