{"id":898043,"date":"2026-10-28T22:46:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T22:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/898043\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T22:46:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T22:46:11","slug":"critical-warning-about-microplastics-in-popular-drink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/898043\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Critical warning’ about microplastics in popular drink"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers are sounding the alarm on a drink that more than half<\/a> the US population downs daily.<\/p>\n

They say it\u2019s often loaded with microplastics \u2014 tiny bits of plastic less than 5 millimeters \u2014 which have been shown<\/a> to increase the risk of cardiovascular issues, cellular damage and certain cancers.<\/p>\n

Recent studies claim that these shards are everywhere, from dust in the air<\/a> to 60% of the food we eat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not hopeless: Experts say<\/a> you can cut down on your consumption by simply avoiding things like plastic cooking utensils and food storage containers<\/a> for reheating.<\/p>\n

\"MicroplasticResearchers have a new tip for those looking to avoid ubiquitous microplastics. SIV Stock Studio \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re one of the 159 million Americans<\/a> who have a cup of tea daily, new research<\/a> suggests that you\u2019ll want to stay clear of the brands that use plastic tea bags.<\/p>\n

Your teabag is shedding<\/p>\n

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\u2009degrees Celsius).<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 the same material used to make the bags themselves \u2014 pointing directly to their source.<\/p>\n

\u201cUpon 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,\u201d the authors wrote this month in npj Science of Food.<\/p>\n

Counting the particles wasn\u2019t enough \u2014 researchers needed to see which chemicals were leaching into the water. They measured BPA, which has been shown to mess with endocrine function<\/a> and impair heart activity<\/a>, and phthalates, linked to endocrine disruption<\/a> and potentially cancer.<\/p>\n

\"AOver 159 million Americans drink tea daily.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 particularly for BPA, which they observed at relatively high levels.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur 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,\u201d the Turkish researchers wrote.<\/p>\n

BPA can harm fetal development,<\/a> as well as children\u2019s physical and behavioral <\/a>development.<\/p>\n

While the results compared to safety standards \u201cappear quantitatively safe, it may be misleading,\u201d the study authors said. \u201cThese results do not imply zero risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which tea brands to buy<\/p>\n

This study looked almost exclusively at tea from Turkey, whereas most tea<\/a> consumed in the US comes from Japan, India, Argentina and China.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Tetley, for one, has said<\/a> that its \u201ctea bags do contain a very small amount of plastic to ensure the bags remain closed for you to enjoy your cup of tea\u201d \u2014 but has worked \u201chard to ensure that our tea bags are 99% bio degradable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year, the environmental nonprofit Waste Loop reported<\/a> that Tazo<\/a>, Celestial Seasonings<\/a> and Twinings<\/a> are among the brands with bags containing plastic, but \u201cmany are working towards becoming plastic free.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many tea companies have shifted away from petroleum-based plastics to a bioplastic called PLA because it\u2019s derived from plant sources like cornstarch. Research shows PLA bags can shed microplastics<\/a>, though.<\/p>\n

The consumer resource PlasticDetox.org reports<\/a> that certain blends of Organic India<\/a>, Traditional Medicinals<\/a> and Yogi<\/a> are in plastic-free bags. <\/p>\n

To be safer? Consider loose-leaf tea instead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Researchers are sounding the alarm on a drink that more than half the US population downs daily. They…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":898044,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[3286,97,21251,6957,3284,36562,673],"class_list":["post-898043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-food-drink","tag-health","tag-microplastics","tag-plastic","tag-study-says","tag-tea","tag-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=898043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898043\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/898044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=898043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=898043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=898043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}