Urgent warning issued to Irish tea drinkers over their favourite brew
Drinking a cup of tea could be releasing billions of microplastics into your body, according to new research
Irish tea drinkers have been issued with an urgent warning that drinking the nation's favourite beverage could result in the releasing of microplastics into the body, according to research from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
Tea leaf-filled pouches are steeped in microplastics, which are released into our bodies as we drink. "The potential health implications of environmental micro/nanoplastics (MNPLs) are increasingly concerning," the Spanish researchers said.
"Beyond environmental exposure, other sources such as food packaging, including herbal teabags, may also be significant."
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The study - published in the journal Chemosphere - found a single tea bag can release billions of dangerous microplastics into your body. During their experiments, the team found that most of these microplastics are taken up by the mucus-producing intestinal cells.
However, they found that some can even enter the cell nucleus - the part of the cell that houses genetic material. "It is critical to develop standardised test methods to assess micro/nanoplastics (MNPLs) contamination released from plastic food contact materials and to formulate regulatory policies to effectively mitigate and minimise this contamination," researchers said, reports Birmingham Live.
"As the use of plastic in food packaging continues to increase, it is vital to address MNPLs contamination to ensure food safety and protect public health. Overall, our findings contribute to a growing body of evidence on the pervasive nature of plastic pollution and its potential implications for human health."
The study, which was featured in Chemosphere, involved the team examining microplastics released from three widely available teabag types. The first was a nylon teabag purchased from Amazon.
Then, they ordered a polypropylene teabag from AliExpress. Lastly, they bought a third type from a local supermarket, with an unspecified filter polymer.
For each type of teabag, the researchers placed 300 bags into a 1-litre beaker filled with 600ml of water heated to 95°C.
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