United States: The experts performing thorough research in Spain showcased that, generally, individuals don’t drink loose-leaf tea, but they consume it through tea bags.
The reports suggest that when the tea bags are soaked in water, millions of pieces of evidence prove that plastic substances make their way into human cells.
More about the finding
The latest study was done by the team from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Sohag University in Egypt, and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany, who found that the polymer-based commercial tea bags can “release millions of nanoplastics and microplastics when infused.”
The findings were published in the journal Chemosphere.
The team stressed that their investigation revealed that billions of particles became engulfed in intestinal cells and, from there, entered the circulatory system and into the bloodstream and circulated all around the human anatomy.
Do I Need to Worry About Microplastics in Tea Bags? https://t.co/Sv0LSjEga7
— John Pierce (@jrpierce) January 14, 2025
As per the researchers, “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,” scmp.com reported.
This suggests that intestinal mucus, which seems to be crucial, helps transport the plastics further into the human system.
Furthermore, the research team mentioned in the journal, “The potential health implications of environmental micro/nano plastics (MNPLs) are increasingly concerning,” calling for “further research into the effects that chronic exposure can have on human health.”
The study conducted the previous year demonstrated that microplastic can infiltrate the brain and testes, cross the placental barrier of pregnant women, and make antibiotics ineffective, scmp.com reported.