Up to 2,500 microplastic particles found in tea bags after 3 minutes in hot water
com. Drinking a cup of hot tea may expose people to microplastics, particularly when tea bags are made from plastic materials. When exposed to hot water, these tea bags can release tiny plastic particles into the beverage. Microplastics are plastic fragments smaller than 5 millimeters. They can enter the human body through food and drinking water, and some…
A recent study has found that drinking a cup of hot tea made with plastic tea bags could expose individuals to microplastics. Nylon tea bags, in particular, were shown to release up to approximately 2,500 microplastic particles when steeped in hot water for three minutes.
Microplastics, defined as plastic fragments smaller than 5 millimeters, can enter the human body through food and drinking water. Some studies have suggested a potential link between microplastics and health issues such as inflammation and cellular damage.
In Turkey, researchers from Recep Tayyip Erdogan University conducted a study to investigate the impact of hot water on nylon tea bags. They placed nylon tea bags into 150 milliliters of water heated to about 95 degrees Celsius and steeped them for three minutes. Afterwards, they analyzed the water and discovered between 555 and 2,498 microplastic particles.
The researchers concluded that immersing tea bags in hot water can cause tiny plastic particles and chemical substances to leach into the beverage. The nylon tea bags used in the study were made from plastic fibers.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
