A soothing cup of tea may not do wonders for your health, scientists warn.
Research by the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona suggests that sipping your primary beverage can release billions of microplastics into your body.
3
3
The culprit? Tea bags.
According to the researchers, the bags filled with tea leaves are infused with microplastic particles, which are released into our bodies as we drink.
It is not yet clear how these tiny fragments of plastic can affect our health.
But previous research has identified it in penile tissue and human breast milk.
Read more about microplastics
Other studies have shown that food packaging – such as plastic bottles, cups and Tupperware – is a major source of microplastics.
“The potential health effects of environmental nanoplastic particles (MNPLs) are increasingly worrying,” the Spanish researchers said.
“Apart from environmental exposure, other sources such as food packaging, including herbal tea bags, may also be important.”
The team tested three popular tea bags – which can be easily bought online or in supermarkets – to try to measure how many microplastics we might ingest from each after brewing a cup in the “standard” way.
The study – published in the journal Atmosphere – It was found that most of these microplastics are absorbed by mucus-producing intestinal cells.
But researchers found that some of them can enter the cell nucleus, the part of the cell that houses genetic material.
The first tea bag tested was made of nylon, which the researchers ordered from Amazon.
The second was a polypropylene tea bag ordered from AliExpress and the third was purchased from a supermarket and contained an unknown filter polymer.
While the tea bags ordered online were empty, the tea bags containing the tea were emptied and rinsed with water.
The researchers then steeped 300 of each type of tea bag in 600 ml of water heated to 95 degrees Celsius.
3
The team observed that the three tea bags released huge amounts of microplastic particles into the water.
Polypropylene tea bags were the worst, releasing nearly 1.2 billion particles per milliliter, with an average size of 136.7 nanometers.
Nylon tea bags released 8.18 million particles per milliliter, with an average size of 13.8.4 nanometers.
the nextThe researchers dyed the microplastics before exposing them to different types of human intestinal cells.
Mucus-producing intestinal cells appeared to absorb most of the microplastic particles, and some particles were even able to enter the cell nucleus.
What are microplastics and why are they a concern?
Microplastics are small plastic particles that are less than five millimeters in diameter.
They come from a variety of sources in our daily lives, from large pieces of plastic debris, such as decomposing bottles, to tiny beads in personal care products such as toothpaste and exfoliants, and synthetic fibers from textiles such as polyester and nylon.
We can either ingest them, for example in food and water contaminated with them, or inhale them from the air.
There is growing concern about the potential health effects of microplastics on the environment and human health.
When ingested or inhaled, microplastics can cause physical and chemical damage to living organisms.
Studies have shown that they may be involved in causing inflammation in the body by releasing proteins called inflammatory cytokines.
While these studies are usually small and performed on animals or cells, inflammation is linked to a range of chronic diseases, including heart disease, autoimmune disorders, and cancer.
Cellular damage has been a major focus of studies on microplastics.
Small pieces of plastic have been shown to cause cell death, cause damage via oxidative stress, and interfere with hormone function.
There is also evidence to suggest that microplastics can cause genotoxic effects, meaning they can damage genetic material within cells, raising concerns that they could contribute to cancer.
Evidence is still developing for these small molecules that are barely visible to the naked eye.
The study team said their findings highlight the need for more research into how chronic exposure to microplastics affects human health.
“It is critical to develop standardized test methods for the evaluation of micro/nanoplastics (MNPLs) Pollution emitted from plastic materials in contact with food and formulate regulatory policies to effectively mitigate and reduce this pollution“, said the researchers.
“Such as the use of plastic Food packaging As the increase continues, it is necessary to address the contamination of MNPLs to ensure this Food safety And protect public health.
“Overall, our findings contribute to a growing body of evidence about the pervasive nature of plastic pollution and its potential repercussions on human health.”
This comes after a review of 3,000 studies found that microplastics could be responsible for respiratory problems and additional health problems, such as cancer and infertility.
Experts also revealed that fine particles can also be a cause of chronic pneumonia, which can worsen Lung cancer risk.
Previous research has indicated that cancer cells in the intestine spread at an accelerated rate after coming into contact with microplastics.
