Microplastics: top quality tea bags release billions of particles – study

New research suggests that some quality tea bags can leave billions of microscopic plastic particles in your cup.

Canadian researchers have discovered that some plastic tea bags release high levels of microplastics into the water.

Microplastics have been widely found in the environment, in tap and bottled water and in certain foods.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), such particles in drinking water do not appear to pose a risk.

But the WHO said the findings were based on "limited information" and called for more research on the issue.

Researchers at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, have also called for more studies on the health effects of microplastics, defined as small pieces (less than 5 mm in length) of any type of debris. plastic.

For the study, they bought four different commercial teas packaged in plastic tea bags.

Most tea bags are made from paper, but some high-end brands have opted for a type of plastic mesh.

The researchers removed the tea and placed the empty sachets in water heated to 95 ° C (203 ° F), as they prepared tea.

They discovered that a single plastic tea bag released about 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion smaller nanoplastic particles in hot water. The particles are completely invisible to the naked eye.

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The level of "particles released from teabag packages is several orders of magnitude higher than plastic fillers previously reported in other foods," according to the study published by the journal Environmental Science and Technology. Technology.

Researcher Laura Hernandez says she was surprised by the amount released compared to that recorded in other studies including bottled water.

She explained that the discrepancy may be due in part to the fact that they have focused on the smaller particles – microplastics, which are about the thickness of a hair, and the nanoplastics, which are a thousand times smaller.

• The WHO launches a review of the health of plastics
• "No apparent risk" with microplastics in water

But she also said that it could be due to the fact "it's a piece of plastic exposed to boiling water" and not just to water at room temperature.

Ms. Hernandez pointed out that it was a chance for consumers, like those looking to reduce their plastic consumption, to become aware of their purchases.

"It's really not necessary to pack the tea into plastic, which in the end becomes single-use plastic," she said. "[And] that helps you not only ingest plastic, but to the environmental load of the plastic. "