[ConservativeMind]

The study used scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV), and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) to identify the particles.

The important quote:

“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.“

It looks best to use loose leaf teas infusers. We are cutting open plastic tea bags and putting the contents into infusers, but we hadn’t realized the polymer used to seal paper tea bags could release so many particles, under the influence of heat and liquid.

I guess we will start infusing our paper tea bags contents out of the bags and keep up our other loose leaf tea use.

Researchers are finding these particles piling up in some organs. We still don’t understand what harm they cause, but they shouldn’t be there.

[ConservativeMind]

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[mikey_hates_everything]

[metmom]

Are all teabags plastic?

[FalloutShelterGirl]

I figure if I ingest enough plastic particles, I will eventually become immortal 🍵

[George from New England]

What about coffee filters ?

[sunny bonobo]

I’m stupid. What in the heck is a tea transfusion?

[Scarlett156]

I try when possible/practical to tear open the tea bag and put the loose tea into a fabric or metal tea strainer or simply dump it into the boiling water and strain it out as in classic times.

[bitt]

p

[proxy_user]

Real tea in metal strainers - that’s the way to go! A nice single-estate Assam....

[hercuroc]

Anderson Cooper can attest to this.

[jonrick46]

I wonder if those filters in K-cups have those same microplastics? Also, coffee filters?

[DannyTN]

My Bill Gates chip that came free with the vaccine, needs raw materials to work with.

[Wuli]

It makes me wonder what the fabric filters in the Keurig type K-cups are made from. All the more reason to go to a real espresso machine for my Americano.

[Socon-Econ]

More fodder for the people who believe that everthinf wrong with our bodies is caused be what we eat.

[Fledermaus]

Don’t they have better things to whine about?

[KittyKares]

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.