Most of us enjoy a warm cup of tea or a piece of gum without a second thought. But apparently (I found out today) that these everyday items could be sneaking tiny bits of plastic into our bodies. If you are surprised like I am, keep reading.
Plastic in Tea Bags? Seriously?
Yep! Some tea bags aren’t just made of paper. Many brands use plastic (usually nylon or PET plastic) to seal the bags and make them stronger. But when you pour hot water over them, they release billions of tiny plastic particles into your tea!
A study published in Environmental Science & Technology found alarming results. Steeping just one plastic tea bag at 95°C releases around 11.6 billion microplastics into your cup. That’s a lot of plastic with your herbal infusion! (Source)
In a November 2024 study published in Chemosphere, researchers tested three different brands of tea bags for exposure to microplastics. These are degraded plastic bits that don’t break down. They are also suspected to impact human health. (Source)
And where do those plastics go? Scientists believe they might pass through our intestines and even enter our bloodstream. We don’t yet know all the health effects. Early research suggests they could cause inflammation. They could also cause other issues in our bodies.
Well, I had no idea BUT I am glad that most of the times I don’t use tea bags. I actually prefer freshly brewed tea in a tea-pot.
Wait… There’s Plastic in Gum Too?
Believe it or not, most chewing gum is basically plastic you chew on! Traditional gum used natural tree sap (chicle). Today, companies use synthetic rubber. They also use plastic ingredients like polyvinyl acetate and polyethylene. Yep, it’s the same stuff used in plastic bags.
A recent study found that chewing just one piece of gum can release hundreds to thousands of microplasticss particles into your saliva! Some gums release up to 600 microplastic particles per gram. (Source)
If you chew gum regularly, you could be unknowingly swallowing tens of thousands of microplastics every year!
Why Does This Matter?
Scientists are still studying how microplastics affect our health, but early findings suggest they can:
✔ Build up in our organs
✔ Cause inflammation
✔ Disrupt cells in our body
While we wait for more research, it makes sense to reduce our exposure as much as possible.
What Can We Do?
I don’t know. I would think to switch to natural gums. But then I read that researchers found that synthetic and natural gums released a similar amount of microplastics. The average release was 104 and 96 per piece, respectively. (Source)
I personally said good-bye to gums a year ago when started orthodontic treatment. Now I am sure, I won’t get back to it:)
www.natureallydone.com 
Leave a comment