There always seems like something so genteel and cultured about sipping a nice cup of hot tea. It's a very different experience than gulping down your favorite soda or beer. The sheer elegance and refined charm of the soothing beverage dates back generations. However, you may be getting more than cozy comfort from your tea, especially if it was made from plastic tea bags. According to a concerning new study described in The New York Post, "...[I]f you're one of the 159 million Americans who have a cup of tea daily, new research suggests you'll want to stay clear of the brands that use plastic tea bags."
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The Potential Hazards of Plastic Tea Bags
Per the outlet, researchers tested "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)." What a difference they allegedly found between the two!
The tea made with plastic tea bags contained "555 to 2,498 microplastic particles per cup." Compare that with tea brewed with loose-leaf tea. It had a scant "3 to 2.4 particles per cup."
It appears that hot water, a necessary ingredient for prepping tea, acts to catalyze the microparticles."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," claim the study's authors in npj Science of Food.
Other Alleged Health Hazards Possibly Lurking in Bagged Tea
BPA stands for bisphenol A. It's an industrial chemical used to make some plastics. Then there are phthalates, chemicals also found in the plastic manufacturing process. Bagged tea might be a culprit with those as well. The researchers note, "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."
One Caveat To Consider
The study in question examined tea from Turkey. Per The New York Post, "...[M]ost tea consumed in the US comes from Japan, India, Argentina and China."
Going forward, you may want to opt for loose-leaf tea. However, a brand like Tetley says their "tea bags do contain a very small amount of plastic to ensure the bags remain closed for you to enjoy your cup of tea." Nevertheless, they strive "hard to ensure that our tea bags are 99% bio degradable."
