On the Internet, the news dispersed that drinking tea brewed with plastic bags in the form of pyramids can cause cancer and other health problems. We decided to check if there are grounds for such fears.
In May and June 2024, many media reported about tea in pyramids ("Evening Moscow" Lenta.ru, "Russian newspaper","Tsargrad"), Information And Entertaining Portals. Most publications show the opinions of doctors who advise if possible to avoid drinks brewed using such tea bags - supposedly their constant use can lead to diseases of the kidneys, liver and blood, as well as the development of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Similar fears are divided users of social networks ("VKontakte" X, Facebook*, Telegram) And Platform blog.
All the fears that are expressed in articles on the dangers of tea in the pyramids are associated with the material from which these pyramids are made, that is, with plastic. There is an opinion that such bags are distinguished when brewing microplastics (tiny particles in size from 100 nm to 5 mm) and nanoplasty (particles less than 100 nm), which then, along with the drink, enters the human body.
Tea manufacturers usually do not indicate on packages or official sites the exact composition of the material from which tea bags are made. However, in 2013, scientists from the University of Cork (Ireland) Studied Biodegradability and, as a result, the impact on the ecology of bags of eight popular brands. In almost all materials used in production, to one degree or another, plastic was contained (except for those that were made completely from cellulose, but the pyramids are clearly not related to this). The difference between classic tea bags and pyramids is noticeable to the naked eye: if the former even tactilely resemble paper, then the second are closer to synthetic tissue.
In 2019, a group of scientists from Canadian University McGill expressed The assumption that tea bags containing plastic can be especially dangerous due to the fact that they are usually brewed in water with a temperature above +90 ° C, while plastic allowed for use in the packaging of food products is designed for no more than +40 ° C and can be split under the influence of temperature. To check their hypothesis, the researchers conducted an experiment: they took four tea bags of different brands, brewed them with water heated to +95 ° C, and then studied the resulting drink. It turned out that up to 16 μg of microplasty remained in the cups. In 2021, scientists from Moscow State University of Food Production (MSUPP) held a similar study With classic tea bags and pyramids- it turned out that when brewing the latter, micro- and nanoplastics really stand out in the drink. Unlike the study of Canadian scientists, the exact weight of the plastic particles in this work is not indicated, but the data obtained is enough to conclude that not only the contents of the bags, but also their particles falls into the drink.
By data World Wildlife Foundation ** for 2019, a person consumes about 5 g of microplasty weekly (that is, hundreds of thousands of times more than in one cup of packaged tea, according to Canadian scientists), which is equivalent to about 250 g annually. Tea bags are far from the only potential source Microplasty in the human diet. Its particles can fall into food and drinks from bottles of water, boxes for fast food and even paper cups for coffee is a discharge (which In fact Not quite paper). Micro- and nanoplastics surrounds people everywhere- it is in drinking water And even in the air, from which it enters the human body through the skin and respiratory system. Due to the pollution of the oceans, such particles are also contained in seafood.
Microplastics is not at all useful for health, but the damage that it can potentially do when a systematic entering the body in the long run is not yet fully clear to scientists. Scientists from British University of England Raskin in 2021 published review Studies on this subject and came to the conclusion that microplastics can provoke an immune and stressful response of the body, as well as negatively affect the reproductive function of a person. At the same time, experts noted that there are no final evidence of such consequences yet, and conclusions are based on research on laboratory animals and cell cultures. A year later than WHO too I studied The academic work that had at that time did not find convincing confirmation that microplastics could lead to one or another health problems. At the same time, the WHO experts note: it is not about the fact that microplastics is safe, there are simply no sufficient data to draw certain conclusions about the degree and nature of its impact. Therefore, in order to avoid possible risks, it is really not worth it to expose your body to expose such particles.
Studies on the effect of microplasty on health are a difficult task. Unlike laboratory animals, feeding people with plastic as part of the experiment is at least unethical, so it is almost impossible. At the same time, each person is exposed to any extent or another, so it is difficult to highlight the consequences of health associated with him. The fact that in plastic is also complicated by such studies Used Thousands of various chemicals. Some of them are toxic, part is not, therefore, probably, potential harm from a particular type of microplasty can vary depending on its composition. In the same way, it is difficult to talk about plastic in tea pyramids in general: among different manufacturers, the material may differ, as well as potential harm from the use of tea with micro- or nanoparticles of such bags.
Thus, at present, there is no sufficient convincing evidence that the systematic use of microplasty along with food or drinks can cause cancer or some other health problems. The assertion that precisely tea bags containing plastic can cause the development of cancer - apparently, an exaggeration, since the volume of particles that can get into the drink is extremely small compared to the fact that a person constantly receives from other sources. However, reducing the risks is not the worst idea, because the research is still being conducted, and scientists have not come to unambiguous conclusions about potential health risks associated with microplasty.
*Russian authorities They think Meta Platforms Inc., which owns the social network Facebook, an extremist organization, its activities in Russia are prohibited.
** Russian authorities They think The World Wide Foundation is an undesirable organization, its activities in Russia are prohibited.
Photo on the cover: Pixabay.com
Read on the topic:
- Reuters. A Plateful of Plastic. Visualing the Amount of Microplastic We Eat
- National Geographic. Microplastics are in out bodies. How Much Do they Harm Us?
- Is it true that drinking yesterday’s tea is dangerous for health?
- Is it true that boiling water “kills” the beneficial properties of tea?
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