Trouble brewing

Teabags containing plastic may result in microplastics Teaching into your beverage. But there are other options for concerned connoisseurs.

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Question:

I drink a lot of tea, and my favourite teabag is Kenya Bold. Since reading your article about plastics in teabags (February 12, 2022), I've been emptying the tea out of the bag and putting it in a small sieve before pouring boiling water over it. Would the bag have contaminated the tea, or is this a safe method?

Answer:

Plastic pollution in our environment and food supply is an increasing concern worldwide. That concern has multiplied with the discovery that microplastics - tiny plastic particles - are now found almost everywhere on Earth. Given that research suggests these microplastics may cause chronic inflammation in the human body and increase cancer risk, reducing our microplastic intake appears to be warranted.

As noted in my previous column, many manufacturers use plastics (such as polypropylene) in their teabags. A 2019 Canadian study found that a single plastic teabag released about 11.6 billion microplastic and 3.1 billion nano-plastic particles into each cup at brewing temperature.

A single plastic teabag released about 11.6 billion microplastic particle into each cup.

When boiling water hits the plastic-containing teabag, it causes the breakdown of the plastics, resulting in microplastics leaching into the brewed drink. By removing the tea leaves from the teabag before you brew the tea, you are likely removing the opportunity for this process to occur.

Interestingly, some stores sell Kenya Bold tea as loose-leaf tea. So you could remove the teabag altogether from the equation by buying loose-leaf tea and straining the boiling water through the loose tea.