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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThese tea bags release billions of plastic particles into your brew, study shows
A couple of years ago, Nathalie Tufenkji stopped by a Montreal cafe on her way to work and ordered a cup of tea. She sat down with her mug, enjoying its warmth, before she noticed something strange: Her tea bag appeared to be made of plastic.
I thought, Thats not a very good idea, putting plastic into boiling water, she told The Washington Post.
Tufenkji was worried that the plastic bags could leach particles into the beverage that she and her fellow customers were consuming, and as a professor of chemical engineering at McGill University, she was well positioned to investigate. She dispatched her student Laura Hernandez to purchase tea bags from stores in the area and bring them back to the lab.
It turns out Tufenkjis hunch was right. The bags were releasing plastic particles into the brewed tea. Billions and billions of them.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/09/27/these-tea-bags-release-billions-plastic-particles-into-your-brew-study-shows/
True Dough
(17,302 posts)to drink heavy water from the nuclear reactor. Tea is killing people!
Response to Zorro (Original post)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
hlthe2b
(102,225 posts)Plastic is lightweight, granted, but the disadvantages pile up after that.
I was fortunate to have a milk delivery service in glass bottles, but they've gotten really expensive. I HATE having to throw out two 1-gallon plastic milk jugs each week. I do clean them out and put them in recycle, but from what I can tell, this plastic is getting landfilled regardless.
TheFarseer
(9,322 posts)And not bottled water when possible.
IronLionZion
(45,427 posts)I've been drinking mostly matcha, which is powdered green tea leaves with no bag. Most tea bags would be paper, I think. I try to use less plastic in general.
maxsolomon
(33,310 posts)Now I have to ask PG tips what their bags are made of...
IronLionZion
(45,427 posts)PG tips switches to plastic-free tea bags after 200,000 sign gardeners petition
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/28/pg-tips-switches-plastic-free-tea-bags-200000-sign-gardeners/
maxsolomon
(33,310 posts)The damage is done, however. I'm probably 5% plastic beads by now.
Never seen plastic tea bags.
IronLionZion
(45,427 posts)the plastic ones are just weird. I never liked them.
maxsolomon
(33,310 posts)Good times.
912gdm
(959 posts)I got one about a year ago and thought it was a little odd. I didn't make the particle connection though so I'm glad I just got it one time.