Microplastics, defined as tiny pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters in diameter, come from the decomposition of a variety of plastic products, such as plastic bags, plastic takeout containers, and plastic bottles. Microplastics can enter bodies of water, soil and air, and make their way into the food chain and ultimately into the human body, negatively affecting our health. Previous studies have shown that humans may inhale about 16.2 micro/nano plastics per hour, which is the equivalent of one bank card per week.
Recently, researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona published an article in the journal “Chemosphere” entitled [Teabag-derived micro/nanoplastics (true-to-life MNPLs) as a surrogate for real-life exposurescenarios]. The study showed that hundreds of millions of micro/nanoplastics are released from tea bags when they are used to make tea, and that these plastic particles are micro-absorbed by human intestinal cells, allowing them to enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body.
In this study, the researchers analyzed tea bag filters of three different chemical compositions: nylon 6, polypropylene, and cellulose, analyzed the release of microplastic particles from the different tea bags through a series of advanced scanning techniques, such as transmission electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, etc., and evaluated the uptake of these plastic particles by three different types of human intestinal cells. It was found that all three types of tea bags released a significant amount of micro/nano plastic particles during tea brewing. Specifically, polypropylene tea bags released about 1.2 billion particles per milliliter with an average size of 136.7 nanometers; cellulose tea bags released about 135 million particles per milliliter with an average size of 244.7 nanometers; and nylon 6 tea bags released about 8.18 million particles per milliliter with an average size of 138.4 nanometers.
The study showed that tea bags release large amounts of micro/nano plastics into the water and that these plastic particles are micro-able to be absorbed by human intestinal cells, confirming the extent of plastic contamination in commonly used tea bags, and the results of the study provide additional evidence for the prevalence of plastic contamination and its potential impact on human health.
