this post was submitted on 10 Jan 2025
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Summary

A new study from Spain’s Autonomous University of Barcelona reveals that tea bags made from nylon, polypropylene, and cellulose release billions of micro- and nanoplastic particles when steeped in boiling water.

These particles, which can enter human intestinal cells, may pose health risks, potentially affecting the digestive, respiratory, endocrine, and immune systems.

Researchers urge regulatory action to mitigate plastic contamination in food packaging.

Consumers are advised to use loose-leaf tea with stainless steel infusers or biodegradable tea bags to minimize exposure.

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[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 40 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

Consumers are advised to ...

Consumers are advised to check whether tea bags in their region are even made of these materials.

Edit: Also, "billions"? The cookie warning is borked on the foodandwine.com article so I can't read it but: https://www.dpa-international.com/trends-and-features/urn:newsml:dpa.com:20090101:250109-99-540705/ "Tea bags releasing 'millions' of microplastics into tea, study shows" - where does that difference come from?

[–] MicroWave@lemmy.world 23 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

From the article:

To come to this conclusion, the team tested tea bags made from nylon-6, polypropylene, and cellulose, all typical packaging for teas. They found that when brewing tea, "polypropylene releases approximately 1.2 billion particles per milliliter, with an average size of 136.7 nanometres; cellulose releases about 135 million particles per milliliter, with an average size of 244 nanometres; while nylon-6 releases 8.18 million particles per milliliter, with an average size of 138.4 nanometres."

[–] kitnaht@lemmy.world 24 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Cellulose is just plant fiber. You're literally boiling tea leaves which are themselves made of plant fiber! This is silly.

[–] deranger@sh.itjust.works 28 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

This is not silly; the study is not to determine if these are harmful or not, just what's released from boiling a teabag.

I'm not knowledgeable in this area of research nor am I about to spend an hour going over the paper to write this comment, but collecting data on seemingly mundane things is important too.

[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 19 points 4 days ago (2 children)

It's likely that the cellulose is treated or coated with something that breaks down during steeping.

[–] Albbi@lemmy.ca 33 points 4 days ago (3 children)

I wanted to look this up with my brand of tea, and they do line their cellulose bags with plastic.

From https://tetley.ca/pages/faq

100% of our portfolio is in paper tissue format. Currently the majority of our tea bags are made from natural plant fibres with a thin inner layer of a plastic material called PP which enables the bags to be heat sealed to keep the tea firmly in the bag (0.03 g per bag). Recently, we transitioned our Orange Pekoe range to plant-based tea bags which are made with PLA tissue. PLA is a bioplastic derived from plant sources. Using plant-based tea bags across all our products is an important part of our sustainability strategy and commitment to reduce the use of non-renewable plastics in our business.

Ugh. I stayed far away from those David's Tea completely plastic bags but was really hoping that cellulose bags would be fine. Turns our they just have to put plastic in everything. I don't want plastic anywhere near hot water that I'm consuming.

[–] techt@lemmy.world 11 points 4 days ago

I did the same with mine -- prepared for the worst, but pleasantly surprised:

WHAT IS THE FILTER PAPER MADE OF THAT YOU USE IN YOUR TEA BAGS?

The filter paper used for Yamamotoyama tea bags is made from 100% cellulose fibers (wood). Test results conclude that chlorine dioxide is not present in our tea bag filter paper. The filter paper is not coated with the compound epichlorohydrin, and does not contain any free epichlorohydrin. Yamamotoyama tea bag filter paper is machine folded and pressed, therefore no glue is needed or used. Our teabags are completely compostable.

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[–] random_character_a@lemmy.world 17 points 4 days ago (4 children)

Has anyone checked how much particles I produce when I wash my fleece jacket.

[–] P1nkman@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago (10 children)
[–] JoshuaFalken@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Certainly not an expert in the field here, but I'm not sure there's much environmental benefit from laundry bags of that sort, given the collected microplastics optimistically end up - Germany excluded - collated in your local landfill.

Guppyfriend even recommends sealing them in a container for disposal to ensure they don't blow around during waste collection and transport. This assumes of course that you can successfully transfer microplastic fibres from a large bag into a small container without spillage, but that's a matter separate from my conjecture.

Guppyfriend's FAQ

Source

While I don't think any particular company that makes similar bags is purposefully guilty of this, the marketing strategy used to promote these as environmentally responsible products just smells like greenwashing to me.

The ones I've had are also made of synthetic materials, and so eventually break down and begin releasing their own fibres.

Frankly, the true environmental benefit I see is something I've never seen advertised: I can wash groups clothes I want kept from intermingling in the same load and therefore run the machine half as often.

[–] P1nkman@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I'm in Denmark, where we burn our non-recyclabes, so I knowit won't end up in a landfill. Let's burn them planet instead, lol.

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[–] Redditsux@lemmy.world 14 points 4 days ago (3 children)

OMG. That's a good way to start the new year. Now my daily tea is going to be filled with guilt and worry.

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 19 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Just buy paper tea bags or loose leaf tea. The article is talking about those stupid nylon “pyramid” tea bags.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 days ago

A lot of the paper bags are coated in plastic. So loose is your best option.

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[–] FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world 15 points 4 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (3 children)

No it's not, because I use a stainless steel capsule and loose leaf tea, which is superior in every way (even if microplastics weren't an issue).

If you don't make your tea like this, do yourself a favor and upgrade to some quality loose leaf!

Edit: lol, I love that this is getting downvotes. Are there disposable teabag enthusiasts out there?

[–] yannic@lemmy.ca 33 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Your tea bag...

No, it's not, because I use something other than tea bags.

That's you. That's what you wrote.

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