New Delhi: Starting the day without tea seems incomplete, especially in winter. Hot tea gives a different pleasure in the winter season. The trend of tea-bag tea is increasing in offices and hotels, because it is an easy and time-saving option. But a new study recently has made shocking revelations regarding the consumption of tea made from tea bags.
What does the latest study say?
A study conducted by Spain’s Autonomous University of Barcelona, published in the journal Chemosphere, has revealed that drinking tea-bag tea can cause serious harm to health.
- The polymer-based materials (nylon-6, polypropylene and cellulose) used in tea bags release microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) when they come in contact with hot water.
- These microplastics can enter our bloodstream and be absorbed by intestinal cells (gut cells), causing serious health problems.
Scary figures of plastic particles
- Scientists found that polypropylene-based tea bags could release up to 1.2 billion plastic particles into hot water.
- Cellulose-based tea bags emit 135 million particles.
- Nylon-6 tea bags release 8.18 million plastic particles.
- These plastic micro particles get absorbed into the intestinal cells and can spread to other parts of the body.
What are microplastics and why are they dangerous?
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic that originate from a variety of sources:
- Environmental Threat:
- These mix into the sea and other water bodies and become a serious threat to aquatic life.
- Effects on Health:
- Microplastics can accumulate in various organs of the body such as brain, liver and kidneys.
- Due to these, there is a possibility of damage to the organs.
What to do to stay safe?
- Use loose tea instead of tea bags.
- Use a steel or metal strainer.
- Avoid plastic materials while making tea.
