Tea Bag Health Hazard: Research

During tea drinking, there is nothing worse than a hot mixture of PVC (polyvinyl chloride).

Фото: Depositphotos

Scientists have discovered tea bags that will make Earl Gray lovers think about it. Tea bags release billions of tiny plastic particles into each cup.

A study conducted by a group of Canadian scientists and published in the journal of the American Chemical Society Environmental Science and Technology showed that immersion of one tea bag at the brewing temperature results in the release of about 11,6 billions of tiny particles known as “microplastics” and 3,1 billions of “nanoplastics” into each glass .

Researchers compared the composition of the particles with the original tea bags, and it matched.

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“We think that this is a lot compared to other products that contain microplastics,” said Natalie Tufenji of McGill University in Quebec, one of the researchers at The New Scientist. - In table salt with a relatively high microplastic content, approximately 0,005 micrograms of plastic per gram of salt is present. A cup of tea contains thousands of times a large mass of plastic, at 16 micrograms per cup. ”

The team bought four different tea bags in the shops and cafes of Montreal, cut them into pieces, then dipped them in hot water and analyzed using electron microscopes and other technologies.

A control group of unopened tea bags was also used to confirm that the bags caused the release of plastic.

The researchers exposed tea bags to water fleas (a type of microscopic crustacean) and found that the particles caused “significant behavioral effects and malformations,” Tufenji said.

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None of the fleas died, she said.

The researchers added that more research is needed to determine how particles will affect humans. For now, it’s best to avoid plastic tea bags and look for other options.

“Tea can be bought in paper bags or in the form of loose tea, which eliminates the need to use such disposable plastic packaging,” she advised.

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