The more people realize the health, the more they become conscious of things they eat and ingest into their system. From this perspective, one object has recently received considerable attention and that is the tea bag. These are some of the common items encountered in many homes. While tea has been marketed as an elixir with several wonderful health benefits, new studies have recently come up with evidence that there is one dark side to tea bags.
They emit billions of micro plastic particles into your cup. What implication this discovery raises, what exactly micro plastics are, and how consumers can make enlightened choices over their tea drinking is the concern that will be elaborated in this report.
What Are Microplastics?
According to the classification of microplastics, they are
considered particles with a size of less than 5 millimeters in their largest
side. These may result from a breakdown of large pieces of plastic products,
synthetic fiber used in the making of our clothes, utensils, foods, and even
the packing materials used in packaging our foods and drinks. Microplastics are
now experienced as an issue that is threatening ecosystems, oceans and the food
chain as well.
Sources of Microplastics
Microplastics may enter the environment through many pathways:
- Larger Plastics: Bottles, bags, and packaging break down into
smaller sizes with the help of sunlight, heat, and mechanical abrasion.
- Synthetic Fabrics: Clothing made from synthetic material
will also break up through washing, thus allowing the tiny particles to end up
in rivers and eventually the oceans.
- Personal Products: Cosmetics and other personal products
often include microplastic. The entire extra gets poured down the drain and
becomes pollution.
- Most food and beverage products are packaged in plastic, and this may allow the leaching of microplastics into the product.
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How Tea Bags Contribute to Microplastic Pollution
Some types of tea bags have recently been found to contaminate
microplastics inside hot water. A groundbreaking work on the research was
recently published in 2019 by researchers in the scientific journal
Environmental Science and Technology. Therefore, this type of study has found
even one nylon tea bag leaks up to 11.6 billion micro-plastic particles
whereas 3.1 billion-sized nanoplastic may leak in it while a teacup full of tea
infuses in this water.
Types of Tea Bags
All kinds of tea bags are not equal. Here is the significant number of types of tea bags along with their ability of Microplastic leakage:
- Nylon Tea Bags: It is often sold as a marketing name
"silken" or "pyramid" and most of the premium teas are made
from nylon, which will dissolve and release microplastics when heated.
- Polypropylene Tea Bags: Old tea bags used most often contain
polypropylene, another source of plastic that tends to leach micro plastics
into beverages.
- Paper Tea Bags: Although most paper tea bags are marketed as
biodegradable, some may have plastic fibers or coatings that present risks in
much the same way.
- Natural Fiber Bags: Some companies package their tea bags in bags made of all-natural fibers, such as cotton or hemp, and there is much less chance that such bags will shed micro plastics.
Brewing
The brewing process itself introduces micro plastics. When
steeping tea bags in hot water, the fibers of the plastic material break down
by heat and transfer into the solution. This would be a real concern for most
consumers who have their tea at hot temperatures; higher temperatures ensure
the likelihood of releasing micro plastics.
Health Implications of Microplastics
While their long-term effects on health from ingestion are
still unknown, micro plastics could conceivably be dangerous to human health.
They have been detected in various parts of human tissues and organs, so there
has been a growing concern over their safety if ingested.
Possible Health Impacts
- Toxicity: The active absorption of pesticides, heavy metals,
and any type of environmental pollutant by micro plastics can lead to toxins
being released upon ingestion in the human body to cause harm to one's health.
- Inflammation: Some of the laboratory experiments that have
been done showed that once the amount of micro plastics in one’s body is
heightened there is a tendency to have inflammation. Inflammation is associated
with several other conditions as secondary complications such as heart disease,
diabetes, or cancer.
- Hormonal Disruption: Some plastics are replacing the
hormones of the body and hence disrupting endocrine functions. It may lead to
reproductive and developmental issues, amongst other health-related problems.
- Immunological Effects: Recent research shows that micro plastics can alter the immune responses thus making a human being more vulnerable to infections and diseases.
Consumer Preferences and Industrial Action
Not only have people become more conscious of the problem,
but they also started seeking alternatives against conventional tea bags, which
might be infusing micro plastics in it. That in turn is also forcing some
change in packaging and source actions from tea brands.
Best Brands Shift
Some are on the frontlines to remove plastics from tea bags:
- Pukka Herbs: This will be a firm that specializes in
sustainability. Tea bags will have organic cotton while the company won't use
any plastics
- Harney & Sons : The loose-leaf teas can be dispensed on
biodegradable tea bags not of plastics
- Numi Organic Tea: The compostable tea bags will have natural fibers by Numi for environmental-sustainability
Industry Regulations
The other connected area is that of rising concerns over micro
plastics, on which the regulators are keeping tabs. The world is now slowly
thinking about having more stringent rules on plastics utilization in food and
beverage packaging to the extent that even tea bags cannot escape such
treatment. This can be expected to unleash a ripple which the entire industry
has to navigate in its shift toward sustainable solutions for packaging.
Environmental Impact of Microplastics
It has now become a very pertinent issue not just for human
beings, but also environmental. Microplastics are diffused in an ecosystem and,
therefore, had an impact on wildlife and the marine life too.
Effect on Marine Life
Marine life- from planktons to big fishes-all were consuming
microplastics. They are harmful not only to those organisms but reflect through
the entire food chain ending up affecting people who consume their products.
Contamination of Soils and Freshwater
Microplastics contaminated freshwater and soils. This leads
to possible secondary effects on agriculture and also a probable increase in
the risk of diseases related to human health.
Conclusion
This is, indeed an eye-opener for the consumers through the
revelation that tea bags are the source that puts billions of Microplastic
particles in our drinks. As knowledge about micro plastics and potential health
impacts spreads, better decisions regarding what we consume and use daily
become necessary. Changing to loose-leaf tea or natural-origin tea bags could
limit our exposure to these micro plastics when drinking the same beverage we
love.
As consumers, we have power in the industry since we get a
say and demand more visibility and sustainability into the products they
consume. We do that through the brands we support by emphasizing
environmentally friendly operations, by fighting for regulations put on plastic
usages. Thus, we can all contribute towards a healthier environment and a safe
future for each one of us and generations to go.
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