Posted on 12/25/2024 5:43:47 PM PST by ConservativeMind
Research has characterized how polymer-based commercial tea bags release millions of nanoplastics and microplastics when infused. The study shows for the first time the capacity of these particles to be absorbed by human intestinal cells, and are thus able to reach the bloodstream and spread throughout the body.
Plastic waste pollution represents a critical environmental challenge with increasing implications for the well-being and health of future generations. Food packaging is a major source of micro and nanoplastic (MNPLs) contamination and inhalation and ingestion is the main route of human exposure.
A study has successfully obtained and characterized micro and nanoplastics derived from several types of commercially available tea bags.
The UAB researchers observed that when these tea bags are used to prepare an infusion, huge amounts of nano-sized particles and nanofilamentous structures are released, which is an important source of exposure to MNPLs.
The tea bags used for the research were made from the polymers nylon-6, polypropylene and cellulose. The study shows that, when brewing tea, polypropylene releases approximately 1.2 billion particles per milliliter, with an average size of 136.7 nanometers; cellulose releases about 135 million particles per milliliter, with an average size of 244 nanometers; while nylon-6 releases 8.18 million particles per milliliter, with an average size of 138.4 nanometers.
The particles were stained and exposed for the first time to different types of human intestinal cells to assess their interaction and possible cellular internalization. The biological interaction experiments showed that mucus-producing intestinal cells had the highest uptake of micro and nanoplastics, with the particles even entering the cell nucleus that houses the genetic material.
The result suggests a key role for intestinal mucus in the uptake of these pollutant particles and underscores the need for research into the effects that chronic exposure can have on human health.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Without clinical evidence of harm this is in the same class as CO2 hysteria.
The K-cups I did at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters had an inner filter made of a material used in regular(?) coffee filters. The plastic used is the type that would hold up to the hot water at the the optimal temperature for brewing coffee, tea, and hot cocoa: 192°F. I think those brewers could go even hotter.
That article is about BPA and Pthalates. Those are chemical additives that can leach out, albeit at very lows levels, from some plastics. They are not inert.
Microplastics are inert and have never, as far as I know, been directly linked to harmful health impacts.
Don’t they have better things to whine about?
I use cold brew tea bags. :-)
I dont make hot teat either, just put 4 in a gallon container overnite and let them steep in the fridge. No heat to do anything.
Thanks for mentioning the Republic of Tea website. I might order Earl Greyer Decaf. Been looking for a good decaf tea.
You’ll like their products! :)
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/08/microplastics-damage-human-cells-study-plastic
Well we won’t know the true effect of it for years but plastics once inside the body are not clean. So I’m not saying anything definitive except the rather obvious that there is fine reason for concern. Yes, they can be transport mechanisms for the PEPs but also potential mechanical irritants/disruptors of cells.
At the least, it’s a foreign substance that isn’t supposed to be there. At the worst, it can lead to cell death and slowly weaken the immune system over time. There’s also evidence it can affect reproductive organs, some believe it’s not a coincidence men’s testosterone has been steadily decreasing over the last few decades.
Microplastics are largely excreted but Nanoplastics in particular I would argue cannot be considered inert in the fullest sense of the word.
Well... many things we do, eat, and drink are known to kill individual cells. That’s not conclusive proof of significant harm to the body.
I’m all for studying it. But plastics have been integral to our society for at least the past 75 years. I suspect if the problems caused were truly significant, we’d have seen it by now. Instead, we’ve seen life expectancy increasing, partly because of the sanitary benefits of plastic use.
I do strongly suspect that some of these additives, or food additives, or chemicals in our medicines are responsible of the decline in male fertility. RFK, jr is right about that: Our bodies are bombarded with new chemicals from MANY sources, not just plastics.
When I read stories like that first one, I’m reminded of a story I read long ago in a San Diego newspaper. It was a lengthy story a dead whale that was found, washed ashore on a beach. Researchers were astounded to find 500lb of plastic in the whale’s belly. The article went on and on about the harmful effects of that. Then, in the last paragraph, they mentioned: the cause of death was severe wounds from an Orca attack.
Real cause matters.
That is all true. On the other hand, there are undeniably problems that are truly significant and getting worse like the increase in certain cancers, infertility, autism etc. that we don’t know are related to plastics or other environmental pollutants because we haven’t been looking. RFK Jr has been all about vaccines and autism for instance with very little to show for it while the first study of BPA does show a possible (albeit modest) link in children with preexisting genetic vulnerability. How to solve it is a different matter.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/common-plastic-additive-linked-autism-adhd
It’s always a game of learning and adapting. I think BPA could be replaced. There are known replacement chemicals. The problem is, they are a bit more expensive. But more importantly, we don’t know the potential health effects of these replacements. They might be worse.
Same with Phthalates in polymers. These are pretty much already being phased out.
There are still places in the world where plastic use (Kg per capita) is an order of magnitude lower than what the industrial world uses. You would think it wouldn’t be THAT hard to do designed studies. Of course, someone has to want to do it.
How do I know if a tea bag is plastic? Is it those pyramid shaped ones?
I am looking at one of my tea bags now which appears to be paper and has string somehow sealed to it. I would like to assume it is safe.
If you see a mesh, it’s plastic.
Unfortunately, paper tea bags are usually sealed with plastic polymer on the side, even if stapled at the top.
Thank you. That’s a good rule of thumb.
Correlation is not causation, neither with declining this nor increasing that. If we take this article very seriously, then we could conclude that longevity has increased since the advent of plastics! And with longevity comes the wisdom that this (latest fear) too shall pass:-)
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