Commercial Tea Bags Release Millions of Microplastics, Entering Human Intestinal Cells 108
A new study finds that polymer-based commercial tea bags release billions of nanoplastics and microplastics when infused. It also shows for the first time that these particles are capable of being absorbed by human intestinal cells, entering the bloodstream, and potentially affecting human health. The study by the Mutagenesis Group of the UAB Department of Genetics and Microbiology has been published in the journal Chemosphere. Medical Xpress reports: The tea bags used for the research were made from the polymers nylon-6, polypropylene and cellulose. The study shows that, when brewing tea, polypropylene releases approximately 1.2 billion particles per milliliter, with an average size of 136.7 nanometers; cellulose releases about 135 million particles per milliliter, with an average size of 244 nanometers; while nylon-6 releases 8.18 million particles per milliliter, with an average size of 138.4 nanometers. To characterize the different types of particles present in the infusion, a set of advanced analytical techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV), and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) were used.
The particles were stained and exposed for the first time to different types of human intestinal cells to assess their interaction and possible cellular internalization. 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. The result suggests a key role for intestinal mucus in the uptake of these pollutant particles and underscores the need for further research into the effects that chronic exposure can have on human health.
The particles were stained and exposed for the first time to different types of human intestinal cells to assess their interaction and possible cellular internalization. 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. The result suggests a key role for intestinal mucus in the uptake of these pollutant particles and underscores the need for further research into the effects that chronic exposure can have on human health.
So which "paper" tea bags actually aren't? (Score:5, Insightful)
I've been avoiding plastic tea bags like the plague. In fact, mostly I do real tea in a real tea pot but I still end up with tea-bag tea pretty often. What I've noticed is that some "paper" tea bags seem to have coatings. Are those wax or plastic? Do they matter? What would "wax" be anyway? Which tea bags are safe? Is this a noticeable source compared to other sources of microplastics? How does that apply to the Brits generally who seem to use teabags 10 times a day vs other nations that use more coffee?
Re: So which "paper" tea bags actually aren't? (Score:3)
You won't learn that from the study, unfortunately. Just the retailers where each was bought. I drink a fair amount of tea, and not coffee under any circumstances. Which they could say in more detail.
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I've been avoiding plastic tea bags like the plague.
Indeed. Putting plastic in your food is dumb. Putting HOT plastic in your food is dumber.
some "paper" tea bags seem to have coatings.
I buy cheap Walmart teabags. $2 for 100 bags is too cheap to have any coating.
Sometimes, cheaper is better.
Re:So which "paper" tea bags actually aren't? (Score:5, Informative)
$2 for 100 bags is too cheap to have any coating.
It is not. Companies aren't hiding plastic in apparently paper teabags for shits and giggles, they're doing it because it's cheaper to make plastic/paper hybrids than 100% paper.
Sainsbury's, for example sell 240 teabags for GBP3.20, which is cheaper than Walmart, and this is the UK where stuff is normally more expensive. According to Sainsbury's they switched away from oil based plastics to using PLA (a biodegradable plastic) in 2021.
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That Sainsbury's uses PLA actually makes me a bit happier. That's a big proportion of the teabags I meet. I even recognize the boxes on their web page. It's a bit dubiously "biodegradble" but it's definitely closer to that than many other plastics. I just checked and it turns out it's "biocompatible" [nih.gov] so actually that's a big improvement. Thanks.
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It is not. Companies aren't hiding plastic in apparently paper teabags for shits and giggles, they're doing it because it's cheaper to make plastic/paper hybrids than 100% paper.
Sad but true. Too many people are willing to do any crap for a quick buck.
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I buy cheap Walmart teabags. $2 for 100 bags is too cheap to have any coating.
That is insanely ignorant. The cost of the coating is nothing. Those 100 bags are a fraction of a sheet that comes off a production line. All paper teabags have a coating of some kind by necessity. If they didn't they wouldn't survive hot water being poured in them as they paper fibres by necessity of letting liquid through need to be very loosely woven. Paper wouldn't survive. Shit man most people can't even get a dense paper straw to survive long enough to finish their drink let alone a hot drink.
If you a
Re:So which "paper" tea bags actually aren't? (Score:5, Interesting)
I buy cheap Walmart teabags. $2 for 100 bags is too cheap to have any coating.
That is insanely ignorant. The cost of the coating is nothing. Those 100 bags are a fraction of a sheet that comes off a production line. All paper teabags have a coating of some kind by necessity. If they didn't they wouldn't survive hot water being poured in them as they paper fibres by necessity of letting liquid through need to be very loosely woven. Paper wouldn't survive. Shit man most people can't even get a dense paper straw to survive long enough to finish their drink let alone a hot drink.
If you actually care, buy pure tea and use a tea strainer.
The asshole in me always looks up related health issues on different substances when I read about them, A test of 18 Chinese tea products from 9 Chiniese Companies was a little unnerving. All had at least 3 pesticides, and one had 17 different pesticides including banned endosulfan. And tea accumulates aluminum and heavy metals plus fluorine. So if people are freaking about plastics, they should know the other stuff in tea. All that said, I enjoy a nice cup of Earl Grey, Jasmine, or Masala Chai on occasion.
Re:So which "paper" tea bags actually aren't? (Score:5, Informative)
If you actually care, buy pure tea and use a tea strainer.
There are incredibly convenient teapots that come with a metal basket in the middle so no need even to remember about the strainer. Also little metal one cup grabber/basket things I've seen "on the continent" (Mainland Europe, for the non Brits). Both of those completely solve the problems of leaf tea with less inconvenience than when someone gives you a mug without a place to put your teabag.
Re: So which "paper" tea bags actually aren't? (Score:2)
Rubbish, tea bags are available in the UK with zero plastic or coatings.
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Comrade, no one ain't trying your Russian tea after what happened to Navalny.
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ever notice how industry doesn't really need approval or to do real due diligence before they sell harmful products to consumers, this is a result of classism and corruption
Re: So which "paper" tea bags actually aren't? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's corruption . Foods in the US are considered innocent until proven guilty. They are not people, and should not enjoy this benefit.
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agreed, sadly the money talks and our governments obey
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greed and the common interests of an irresponsible upper class hardly requires a conspiracy
The term upper class is applied to a wide array of elite groups existing in the United States of America. Because there is no defined lower threshold for the upper class it is difficult, if not outright impossible, to determine the exact number or percentage of American households that could be identified as being members of the upper-class(es). Most sociologists use the richest 1% of the population, but others use di
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The terms upper class, middle class and lower class are well defined and well established. They should be taken here exactly as they are defined.
Social Class, a group of people within a society who possess the same socioeconomic status. ~ www.britannica.com/topic/social-class
Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status, usually are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper cl
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whose greed/ the insatiable greed of the already wealthy upper classes
I grow my own organic produce or I get it from local farmers who live a reasonable and conservative lifestyle, I don't shop at or support classist unethical transnational corporations or their evil upper class owners
when 15% own 85% of all 'our' capital, then that only leaves 15% of all capital for the rest us to manage with; poverty is the inevitable result
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whose greed/ the insatiable greed of the already wealthy upper classes
I grow my own organic produce or I get it from local farmers who live a reasonable and conservative lifestyle, I don't shop at or support classist unethical transnational corporations or their evil upper class owners
when 15% own 85% of all 'our' capital, then that only leaves 15% of all capital for the rest us to manage with; poverty is the inevitable result
Have you seized the means of production yet?
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Have you seized the means of production yet?
my own production yes, enough so that my time is my own now
still red baiting in this day and age
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Have you seized the means of production yet?
my own production yes, enough so that my time is my own now
still red baiting in this day and age
I do what I can.
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I do what I can.
which appears to be trolling
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I do what I can.
which appears to be trolling
Occasionally. Bear in mind that I'm an equal opportunity troller. I'm just as happy to trigger a person expounding trickle down theory or "a rising tide lifts all boats" Horse pucky.
Or the far left's attempt to install their own particular far left crybully fascism over the last four years and the Democrat parties utter cowardice in their obedience to a small minority as the reason Orange Man outright won the popular vote, the Senate and the House of Representatives because Democrats adopted the non-sane
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Occasionally. Bear in mind that I'm an equal opportunity troller. I'm just as happy to trigger a person expounding trickle down theory or "a rising tide lifts all boats" Horse pucky.
Or the far left's attempt to install their own particular far left crybully fascism over the last four years and the Democrat parties utter cowardice in their obedience to a small minority as the reason Orange Man outright won the popular vote, the Senate and the House of Representatives because Democrats adopted the non-sane marching orders that the crybully crowd demanded.
Anyhow, have a great day, and remember that all pure 'ists will fail because they refuse to acknowledge innate human nature.
sounds like just an excuse to be an abusive person contemptuous of others, busy enjoying putting people down in public, I bet you don't have the courage to do so personally or the integrity necessary to admit you're lying even to yourself and trolling people on Christmas too
good luck with that
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sounds like just an excuse to be an abusive person contemptuous of others, busy enjoying putting people down in public, I bet you don't have the courage to do so personally or the integrity necessary to admit you're lying even to yourself and trolling people on Christmas too
good luck with that
I do not troll in person. However, That does not mean I don't have "courage" or integrity, or whatever you are thinking in those arguments you have with me in your head. Indeed, in my work environment, there is no need to troll, as I have a position with some serious authority. And while I'm pretty direct, my peeps that have initial issues with me tend to come around after I haul their ass out of a sling. It's all how you use it, since it comes with some serious responsibility as well.
Other than my prese
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sounds like an appeal to authority, of course, ethical people are conscientious and considerate no matter the venue
insults speak volumes about the insulter
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sounds like an appeal to authority, of course, ethical people are conscientious and considerate no matter the venue
insults speak volumes about the insulter
Oh, I could not agree more And dear 2TecCom, allow me this little bit of history.
You in what are not polite terms wrote this :
"greed and the common interests of an irresponsible upper class hardly requires a conspiracy"
Now homie, just because you hate this upper class calling them greedy and irresponsible, such an obvious thing to you, that it is made as a statement of fact that requires no conspiracy.
You perhaps might look in the mirror, my friend.
Trying to claim universal traits, then takin
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i don't take your insults personally, i expect them. i know how much the truth hurts, so i'd be naive to think there won't be people who bitterly resent my comments
indeed, it's exactly people like you that need to be reached and your reaction tells me I got to you, that's good to see, thanks
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Left versus right is just divide and conquer while all our political parties are owned and controlled by upper class influences based on campaign contributions and political lobbying.
market manipulation is a reality despite your insults, denial and your nonsensical example
it's the greed of the upper classes who make those unethical and unhealthy choices for us since they have power and we do not
all thanks to people like you who are easily manipulated by partisan politics
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OK, so mind control rays steering your hand at the supermarket?
what an abusive person, and on Christmas, sure says a lot about you
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That's right! It took 120 years for the Great Tea Bag Conspiracy to come to light!
I'm sure the inventor of the teabag in 1901 was a Rich White CIS Gender Male who was out to destroy our health and send us to his Allied RW Cis Gendered Male Health Establishment to make us even sicker and keep us in literal chains with health care debt! I read on the internet that Thomas Sullivan, who filed the first tea bag patent (don't get me started, the information belongs to all of us for free!), was not only a RW Cis Gendered Male but also a Christian and was secretly a Dirty Colonizing Genocidal Jew who was using his poisoned tea bags to kill Palestinians!
They're out to get you, they really truly are!
I am so glad you helped bring this Rich White Cis Gender Male Christian-Jew Conspiracy to light! Help spread the word, Brother! Let The People know about the Christian-Jew-Health-Care-Industry-Teabag-Conspiracy!
Lead the way!
Tough crowd tonight! I for one really enjoyed your post. Funny, sarcastic, skewering all. Says something about the people getting mods to use. They're suffering from inflammation of the humours, with a resulting loss of phlogiston. I recommend they immediately resort to application of leechcraft and mercury lavage for their ailment.
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Yeah! Hahahaha! The idea of the ruling class exploiting their capital positions is ludicrous. Very funny. No way this could ever be a real concern, it could only ever be a real humor.
And anyone who suggests the imbalance should be a concern ought be laughed at, they just don't know how to enjoy the post. Let's make more of them, all painting any question or doubt as hilarious conspiracy talk.
Your post was good for a few laughs as well, Coward
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I've been avoiding plastic tea bags like the plague.
It's such a no brainer. Plastic and boiling water. Who thought anyone who drank tea would actually go for that?
What I've noticed is that some "paper" tea bags seem to have coatings.
I drink a lot of tea. I mean 6-12 cups per day, probably more, "lashings of the stuff old man". No milk, no sugar, ultra clean cups. I notice some teabags leave a floating residue when a fresh cup gets forgotten and allowed to cool.
Cellulose (Score:5, Informative)
Cellulose has been in our diet since we evolved because it is contained in plant cell walls. While microplastic particles may be harmful I cannot see why cellulose particles would be harmful to us at all and they cerainly provide no evidence that they are, they just measure numbers and show they get absorbed. This is perhaps not surprising given that cellulose is in the diet we evolved to eat.
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I noticed the same thing. Cellulose also happens to be biodegradable.
Maybe just bad reporting and the cellulose numbers are for reference? Hmm. From a quick scan of the paper, that does not seem to be the case.
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There is the comment "MNPLs release was higher for propylene and lower for nylon." so they are using the cellulose for comparison at some level, they also describe cellulose as a "polymer", which it is, not a plastic, which it isn't. I guess we can't assume that just because something is "natural" that means it is harmless. Sea snake venom, for example, is fully natural but not something you want in your body. It may be that, beyond chemical composition, simply the number of micro-particles will turn out to
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Possibly. Although cellulose does not belong as a major finding in a paper that has "microplastic" in its title without major explanation. Either we are missing something here that is obvious to the experts in the field or the reviewers messed up.
Not just natural, part of our natural diet (Score:2)
I guess we can't assume that just because something is "natural" that means it is harmless.
True, but it is a significant part of the diet we evolved to consume so the default position should be that it is safe and perhaps even important since fibre is supposed to be good for your diet - although I have no idea if that specifically includes cellulose fibres. That does not mean that future studies might show it is harmful and what levels to consume are safe but that has to require a lot more than just "bean-counting" the number of particles and showing they are absorbed since that happens with pre
Head and neck cancer (Score:2)
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Is that the answer to a wrong message? It sounds like an answer to a different comment I made, in which case, from memory, the research showed that cancers had abnormal amounts of microplastics in them, so either microplastics cause cancer or cancers attract microplastics, possibly by growing faster and enveloping them? I don't think a causal link was properly researched.
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There are also those pyramidal tea "bags" that some brands use. Those I've seen are almost always plastic. I know they were trendy years ago but they're still around.
Usually paper tea bags are coated in plastic as well.
But so are the disposable cups hot drinks are served in - they're lined with plastic film because that can withstand the heat. Cold sodas often use wax as that's compostable. But wax generally melts under heat, making it unsuitable for hot beverages.
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You can do a simple test: Empty one, burn it, smell.
That said, I do not know what "cellulose" does in the article. It is not a "plastic" and it is biodegradable.
Does it matter? (Score:5, Informative)
I drink 3 mugs every morning and usually brew a pot using 3 bags.
I do brew occasionally with loose leaf as well, as a "treat".
I could and would be find to switch to loose leaf all the time but does it really matter?
I could try and eliminate this source of microplastics but, they are already in the water from the tap. They are in my bread, in my cells already from multiple sources.
Practically every location on earth is full of microplastics, you eat a fish, you eat microplastics too.
That tin of tuna? The contents contain microplastics, the tune have them inside them. The tin is coated with a caoting that is probably letting go of microplastics. Your non-stick pans put the stuff into your food and has anyone done a study to see how many micro plastic particles simply rub off onto your hands when you open up a plastic container?
To me it seems an impossible task. Yes we should get rid of plastic, we need to use glass and metals again. But it is a long road and simply swapping out the teabags is barely going to do anything as the stuff is EVERYWHERE.
Instead of researching how many millions of particles are coming off teabags, lets look at testing for the bags that release none! Lets look at proving the reduction. Just assume you will find them everywhere and in everything and look for ways to remove the entry points.
Microplastics are in rainwater and are in wheat growing in fields! How do you even begin?
Re:Does it matter? (Score:5, Informative)
Keep some perspective.
Tap water and bread can have microplastics, but the amount is minimal. That's not what you should focus on.
Fish have more, but smaller fish with shorter lifespans, like herring or mackerel, are better than tuna. Better for mercury as well. Try to stay low on the food chain.
Buy pans coated with non-stick ceramic instead of teflon.
Teabags aren't a problem if they are paper. Just avoid plastic teabags.
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or get a cast iron pan and pot
Re: Does it matter? (Score:2)
I do love my cast iron cookware. It will outlast me by hundreds of years too.
Re:Does it matter? (Score:5, Informative)
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You've also got God-knows-what in the tea itself, depending on which grade you buy and how it's produced. Insects, twigs, dirt, pesticides, ...
... and tea. Do people know that there could be tea in those teabags? Best stay away from teabags and get your caffeine from Coca-Cola and Mountain Dew like nature intended.
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Just to clarify, I drink a million cups of tea a day, just pointing out that the teabags may be the least of your worries.
Yup - tea is quite a collection of chemistry that causes known issues. Microplastics are far down the list.
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You've also got God-knows-what in the tea itself, depending on which grade you buy and how it's produced. Insects, twigs, dirt, pesticides, ...
Careful with that list now. A couple more ingredients and you’re gonna get accused of stealing tradecraft.
Re: Does it matter? (Score:2)
Oh no! There are twigs mixed in with my fermented leaves? Disgusting!
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How do you even begin?
It's not one person working on this. You have people looking into every individual one of these things. This kind of research provides a couple of different insights, not just about the teabags, but also about how they get processed in the body, in this case in mucus producing cells.
While I guess it's good for an individual to reduce exposure, at the end of the day the bigger picture is better understanding and then better standards to improve things for everyone. In particular around nano plastics and micr
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Why do your two options seem to be all or nothing? I'd think reducing the amount of micro plastics consumed is likely a good thing.
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I drink 3 mugs every morning and usually brew a pot using 3 bags.
I do brew occasionally with loose leaf as well, as a "treat".
I could and would be find to switch to loose leaf all the time but does it really matter?
Just to bring a little balance to the matter, if you are concerned about health, you probably should not be drinking tea. Tests of 18 tea products from China, showed that all had at least 3 different pesticides, and one had 17 different pesticides, including banned endosulfan which is quite toxic, bioaccumulates, and is an endocrine disruptor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org] . 14 had chemicals that cause fertility problems or genetic damage.
Tea also naturally accumulates aluminum, heavy metals and fl
I prefer (Score:2)
the tea bags your mom likes.
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You prefer those, do you?
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I meant prefer it as the tea bag provider not receiver!
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Is that news? (Score:4, Informative)
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The news, as I read it, is they found some kind of "interaction" with microplastics. Research has shown the human body responding to the microplastics in a way that, to my nonexpert opinion, sounds like an immune response of some kind. Maybe that's not great as any immune response likely means something is wrong. It doesn't sound like they found any real harm done yet.
I guess this is news to someone, just not something to be concerned about. At least nothing to be concerned about just yet, the fine arti
Where's the harm? (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm seeing a lot of news lately about how microplastics are everywhere but I'm not seeing any harm done. In the fine article they noted an "interaction" which as described sounds like a normal immune response, something that could have been caused by a microscopic bit of sand or plant material. I'm sure that seeing microscopic bits small enough to enter human cells isn't great but such things must exist naturally, such as little bits of sand.
Where's the harm to people or the environment from microplastics? I'm guessing that if there's something of an immune response from the human body that it's not exactly beneficial, that we'd prefer these microscopic bits of plastic didn't exist, as anything that causes an immune response will be a bit of a drain on the body and that will have some downstream detrimental impacts. But then all kinds of things have detrimental impacts on people, some worse than others, because our immune system isn't perfect and will act on harmless microscopic bits in our bodies. Some people react poorly to pollen while most everyone else do not as an example of how our own immune systems can work against us.
I can agree with the statement from the fine article that more study is needed. What is perhaps as important as figuring out the harm microplastics could cause is finding ways to remove microplastics from our bodies, food, air, and the environment generally. If we have no means to remove the stuff then we may just have to learn to live with it. We can cut down on our use of plastics but it looks so far that use of plastics is still a net benefit to our health. Improvements in food packaging, medical devices, seat belts, and so much else made of plastics has extended lifespans and improved our standard of living. If it took this long to figure out that the human body reacts to microplastics, and in a manner that appears to be very minor, then there's been nothing obvious as a detriment to health.
I'd think that reporting on microplastics should be something of interest to a very small minority of scientist and medical researchers, not something for general consumption. This reporting looks like scaremongering and clickbait than anything that actually informs us on something that impacts our lives and needs us to react. Research finally discovered something that sounds like an immune response but not yet any real harm. If there is a harm then we are still left with a problem on what to do about it as there's just a lot of plastic, far too much to destroy or remove in any kind of reasonable time with any kind of reasonable cost. There's nothing we can really do about it so it's possibly best to ignore it, at least until someone can show some definitive net harm.
unrealistic testing (Score:5, Insightful)
"300 [empty] teabags were transferred into a 1 L beaker (pre-washed and sterilized) containing 600 mL of Milli-Q water at 95 C with constant stirring (750 rpm)"
Who stirs their tea at 750 rpm? The time for which they are stirred is not specified. And are all 300 in 600mL of water at once? It's not at all clear that this will produce a result similar to actual use of a teabag.
Good spot (Score:2)
Academics ensuring that they get a result that will get them publicity rather than one which actually says anything about the real world. Could never happen. Ever.
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Who stirs their tea at 750 rpm?
Stirring is a proxy for other quite violent water interactions (such as pouring). But the test needs to be repeatable for it to have any scientific accuracy and simply pouring water at varying rates is not that. I guess they could get 100 people to each make tea their preferred way to satisfy your representativeness, but are you going to complain about more money being spent on research instead of something else you care about?
Realistic testing and old study (Score:5, Informative)
If it makes you feel any worse, here’s a study done 5 years ago, and their testing method:
The researchers counted the plastic particles by cutting open bags of tea, removing the tea, rinsing off any pieces that might have come off during cutting, and then steeping the bags in distilled water at 95 C. They then took a sample, let the water evaporate, and counted the plastic particles under an electron microscope, then extrapolated to get the amount in one cup. They also used other instruments to identify the type of plastic in each bag.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/scienc... [www.cbc.ca]
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They're trying to use a Bambleweeny 57 Sub-Meson Brain and an atomic plotter with a nice hot cup of tea to provide the required Brownian motion to generate finite improbability so they can get invited to the right kind of parties. But that doesn't get tend to get funding so they claim it's all about microplastics.
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300 [empty] teabags were transferred into a 1 L beaker (pre-washed and sterilized) containing 600 mL of Milli-Q water at 95 C with constant stirring (750 rpm)"
I suspect that what's spinning is one of those little plastic-coated magnets they put in beakers, and a spinning magnet in the hot plate is turning it via magnetic force. I've used these in chemistry class before, and the little inch-long stick doesn't churn up much motion even when it's spinning quickly. It may not cause more motion in the bulk of the water than using a spoon would.
Tea from tea bags tastes awful (Score:2)
Re: Tea from tea bags tastes awful (Score:3)
The tea used in tea bags is called "dust grade", it's basically the worst grade of tea you can get away with selling. Obviously the more expensive brands will use better tea leaves but don't expect that from supermarket brands or even the more popular name brands like Tetley or Typhoo. If you want really good tea you need to buy loose leaf; the difference is night and day.
Incidentally, for any Brits reading, ALDI gold label is a pretty good tea for the price. For myself, I try to limit myself to one cup of
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Bonus points if you don't mess up the taste with sugar.
Or milk.
Glock-flavored Lawsuits. (Score:1)
If memory serves me correctly, nylon-6 is the infamous polymer that when infused with glass, made Glock THE household name in guns. Can someone please logically explain why a fucking tea bag needed “infusing” to this level, when paper and other organic have been used for over a century?
This is like finding a tire company in 2024 making tires out of asbestos and lead-infused tar instead of rubber, and then bragging about it in marketing. Exactly THE FUCK did they think was gonna happen when you
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Glock was late to the nylon party.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
The good news is that nylon is biodegradable with a 30 to 40 year lifespan.
Indeed (Score:1)
and underscores the need for further research into the effects that chronic exposure can have on human health.
Indeed. Is it actually a problem? Is it affecting average lifespan? No doubt we ingest tiny amounts of almost anything that's out there. Most of it has negligible effect on us.
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It looks like anyone that asks the "wrong" questions gets moderated down. That reflects poorly on the membership of a website dedicated to news in science and technology.
Yummy (Score:2)
It's the microplastics that make the tea taste good!
Cellulose (Score:2)
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I'm surprised they continue to identify cellulose, even artificial cellulose, as a microplastic. That's not a unanimous opinon, from what I could research.
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Chemically speaking cellulose is a polymer, but it's not particularly plastic in the formability sense, although it can be steamed into a little pliability.
Re:Cellulose (Score:4, Interesting)
No, they tested three *polymers* including cellulose. Plastic is a subset of polymer.
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One bright side (Score:2)
I'll burn much brighter and hotter when I'm cremated with all that plastic in me.
Never felt better (Score:2)
Dishwasher Pods too. (Score:2)
You know those prepackaged plastic pods used for dishwashers and laundry detergents? They dissolve into micro-plastics. Most of which leave with the water, but most is not all, so they coat everything with microplastics.
The laundry ones I can see being reasonable - they merely coat your clothing with plastics.
But the dishwasher ones leave microplastics all over your plates, cutlery, cookware, etc. Your dishwasher is coated with the stuff.
Microplastics are the new lead - we know it is a bad idea but we do
Re: (Score:2)
Your clothing is already made out of plastic.
So, what about ... (Score:2)
Please note the journa it was published inl. (Score:3)
Chemosphere. The same one that published the black plastic study and was recently removed from the science index.
cancer (Score:2)
Based on the other finding on slashdot, apparently these microplastics reduce head and neck cancer by 17%.
Not so new (Score:2)
https://www.countryliving.com/... [countryliving.com]
And we've becoming habituated to Twining's Everyday Tea.
We seem to be focusing on microplastics (Score:1)
What about the alternatives? Some tea bags are made of silk. Do those produce millions of microscopic silk particles? What effect do those have on the body? What about cellulose?
Whatever material anything is made of, everything erodes into microscopic particles that could affect the body in any number of unknown ways. Is there evidence that plastic particles pose a special kind of harm not posed by, say, rubber particles or aluminum or iron (from cookware)?
Just because super-small particles exist, doesn't m
Name they (Score:2)
Name them (Score:2)