Health experts have warned that the billions of nanoplastics in tea bags can cause serious health problems, including fertility problems and an increased risk of several cancers.
If a common man drinks tea with tea bags, he should know that the microplastics in it can cause many diseases in the body. A study presented by the University of Barcelona in Spain has raised concerns in this regard.
The research, conducted on commercially available plastic polymer tea bags, revealed that polypropylene tea bags release 1.2 billion microplastic particles in a single drop of hot water.
Similarly, tea bags made of cellulose released 135 million, while tea bags made of nylon 6 released more than 8 million microplastic particles per drop of water.
These tiny microplastic particles dissolve in hot water and release chemicals that cause cancer. Earlier, similar results were revealed in a study conducted in Canada.
Similarly, other concerns have been raised, after a new study found that microscopic toxic particles are released from tea bags when they are steeped in hot water. Scientists at the Universitat Autonoma in Barcelona have warned that one tea bag can release billions of dangerous microplastics into your body.
Microplastics are also found in a whole range of everyday items, including cooking utensils and pans, can leach into food and drink and even the air we breathe. They then penetrate deep into the body, and tests show high levels of microplastics in breast milk from women, human blood, saliva and feces.
Similarly, experts at the University of California San Francisco found that microscopic plastic particles in the air could be blamed for the rising tide of young people getting colon cancer. Researchers further reviewed data from 3,000 studies and found that once inhaled, they can enter the bloodstream through the lungs.
Experts point to several studies showing that exposure to microplastics can cause structural changes in the colon and ultimately increase the risk of cancer. Additionally, a Chinese study found that lab mice chronically exposed to microplastics had ‘significant colonic abnormalities’ such as damage to the colon walls. Another study published in the same year found that exposure to microplastics caused the colon to produce less mucus, which forms a protective layer around the colon. The Chinese team suggested that this could link microplastics to the observed global decline in fertility rates.
Meanwhile, another study published in early 2024 found that colon cancer cells spread faster after contact with microplastics.