Be very careful with these infusions: they contain an element that is harmful to your health.

On these cold days in the northern hemisphere, we really want drink a hot infusion from time to time. Tea, rooibos, chamomile…. Everyone has their own preferences, but in general they all give us a feeling of comfort and winter pleasure. Unfortunately, numerous studies have been published in recent years that knock this habit off its pedestal and warn us of a risk we didn’t consider: having microplastics in infusions.

It should be noted that microplastics in infusions are not unique to them. We can find these materials in all types of products, from seafood to salt which we season our salads with. The problem is that with tea or any other infusion, most of the particles come not from the food itself, but from container in which they are located. The famous bags that are placed in boiling water.

It has been more than proven that combination of plastic and warmth This is a huge source of microplastics. Even plastics that are prepared for heating, such as those considered microwave safe, will inevitably release some particles. For this reason, many studies have been aimed at analyzing the presence of microplastics in tea bag infusions. The latest of these studies, recently published by scientists from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​is the most comprehensive to date, as it includes the different materials used to make tea bags and analyzes the amount of particles they release and their sizes.

Various types of bags and microplastics in infusions

To conduct this study, tea bags made from three different materials were exposed to conditions similar to those for preparing an infusion. At the same time they used laser methods for measuring the speed and dispersion of light. In this way, they were able to analyze the nature of the particles released and measure the microplastic content in the infusions.

They noticed that in polypropylene About 1.2 billion microplastic particles were released per milliliter. In terms of size, the diameter of these particles averaged 136.7 nanometers. Tea bags followed. cellulosewith an emission of 135 million particles per milliliter and an average diameter of 244 nanometers. Finally, of the materials analyzed, tea bags emitted the least amount of microplastics from nylon-6. An average of 8.18 million particles were measured in each milliliter, with an average diameter of 138.4 nanometers.

How dangerous is this?

At present it is not entirely clear what the consequences will be accumulation increase in the amount of microplastics in our body. They have been found in the digestive system, lungs, brain, blood, and even in breast milk and newborns’ first stool. They are found in the human body from the first days of its existence. But what are its consequences? Because this is a problem that has begun to be studied relatively recentlyIt is unclear what the long-term consequences will be.

However, some scientists have conducted experiments that help roughly estimate what might have happened. The authors of this study themselves tested the effect on intestinal mucosa microplastics from infusions.

They saw that in mucus-producing cells, the level of absorption was sufficient for the plastic to reach the cell nucleus. Given that it is known that microplastics may contain carcinogenic or endocrine disrupting substances, it is clear that this is not good news. In fact, there are already studies that link the presence of microplastics to intestinal inflammationtherefore, we should try to minimize its level in the digestive system as much as possible.

Can we avoid microplastics in infusions?

In fact, microplastics in infusions are not only found in tea bags. There are studies that indicate that these particles are also found in the cells themselves. leaves plants that are brewed, either due to contamination of the soil in which they were grown, irrigation water, or during production. However, the level of microplastics in these cases is much lower than when using tea bags.

Therefore, if we want to reduce microplastic emissions, the best option is to use metal or glass teapots and buy tea in bulk. Thus, we may continue to consume microplastics, but in much lower concentrations.