What now- shouldn't drink tea with tea bags?

[Anonymous]

With many substances, 'the dose makes the poison," so how much tea would you have to consume from the "wrong" tea bags for the amount of microplastics actually to have any effect on your body long-term? Asking seriously. The presence of microplastics is not a shocker (they're in our tap water too) nor even is the idea that there might be quite a few microplastics involved. The bigger question is: At what level does it make any appreciable health difference for the individual drinking tea? Asking seriously. There are many things which in themselves are not good for us or even flat out bad for us--at massive doses we are never likely to ingest. So how much tea from these bags is the threshold for actual harm, if that's known yet? I think these latest studes are on cells in petri dishes and not human studies, is that right?

[Anonymous]

The microplastics are in your water anyway. I don't know that you can avoid them. Found a search result that said you can be breathing in 16 particles an hour. They're in your meat, they're in your tofu.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With many substances, 'the dose makes the poison," so how much tea would you have to consume from the "wrong" tea bags for the amount of microplastics actually to have any effect on your body long-term? Asking seriously. The presence of microplastics is not a shocker (they're in our tap water too) nor even is the idea that there might be quite a few microplastics involved. The bigger question is: At what level does it make any appreciable health difference for the individual drinking tea? Asking seriously. There are many things which in themselves are not good for us or even flat out bad for us--at massive doses we are never likely to ingest. So how much tea from these bags is the threshold for actual harm, if that's known yet? I think these latest studes are on cells in petri dishes and not human studies, is that right?

Nature journal article--experiments show plant roots steer away from plastic contamination in the soil when they can (but the process also causes more plant stress).

Experimentally, there are effects:

In vitro experiments with human cells and in vivo data generated with mice showed that microplastics elicit adverse health effects mainly by causing inflammation, oxidative stress [increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production], lipid metabolism disturbances, gut microbiota dysbiosis, and neurotoxicity. Exposing human gastric adenocarcinoma cells to 44 nm PS nanoparticles strongly increased the expression of the IL-6 and IL-8 genes, which are major inflammatory substances in the body.25 Exposing human glioblastoma multiforme cells (T98G cells) and human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa cells)26 to PE microplastics only increased ROS production in the T98G cell line, whereas exposure to PS microplastics increased ROS production in both cell lines. As such, microplastic exposure not only increases ROS production in cerebral and epithelial cells, but it also increases oxidative stress in colon and small intestine epithelial cells27 and lung epithelial cells.19,24 The results of animal experiments reported to date have shown that exposing mice to PS microplastics caused lipid-metabolism disturbance in the liver, increased oxidative stress and acetylcholine esterase activity,28 and induces microbiota dysbiosis in the intestine.29

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The microplastics are in your water anyway. I don't know that you can avoid them. Found a search result that said you can be breathing in 16 particles an hour. They're in your meat, they're in your tofu.

That doesn't mean that you want to drink an additional billion of them, one or more times a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With many substances, 'the dose makes the poison," so how much tea would you have to consume from the "wrong" tea bags for the amount of microplastics actually to have any effect on your body long-term? Asking seriously. The presence of microplastics is not a shocker (they're in our tap water too) nor even is the idea that there might be quite a few microplastics involved. The bigger question is: At what level does it make any appreciable health difference for the individual drinking tea? Asking seriously. There are many things which in themselves are not good for us or even flat out bad for us--at massive doses we are never likely to ingest. So how much tea from these bags is the threshold for actual harm, if that's known yet? I think these latest studes are on cells in petri dishes and not human studies, is that right?

Nature journal article--experiments show plant roots steer away from plastic contamination in the soil when they can (but the process also causes more plant stress).

Experimentally, there are effects:

In vitro experiments with human cells and in vivo data generated with mice showed that microplastics elicit adverse health effects mainly by causing inflammation, oxidative stress [increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production], lipid metabolism disturbances, gut microbiota dysbiosis, and neurotoxicity. Exposing human gastric adenocarcinoma cells to 44 nm PS nanoparticles strongly increased the expression of the IL-6 and IL-8 genes, which are major inflammatory substances in the body.25 Exposing human glioblastoma multiforme cells (T98G cells) and human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa cells)26 to PE microplastics only increased ROS production in the T98G cell line, whereas exposure to PS microplastics increased ROS production in both cell lines. As such, microplastic exposure not only increases ROS production in cerebral and epithelial cells, but it also increases oxidative stress in colon and small intestine epithelial cells27 and lung epithelial cells.19,24 The results of animal experiments reported to date have shown that exposing mice to PS microplastics caused lipid-metabolism disturbance in the liver, increased oxidative stress and acetylcholine esterase activity,28 and induces microbiota dysbiosis in the intestine.29

This does not answer the questions.

[Anonymous]

I don't get super worked up about stuff like this but I love my tea strainer and buy loose leaf tea from Harney & Sons online and it tastes so much better than any bagged tea I've ever used. Like I can steep for less time and get stronger tea, and the tea is more flavorful.

[Anonymous]

K Cups bad? They're biodegradable. I have a mini Keurig and I just love it.

[Anonymous]

Drinking tea at too high of a temperature causes cancer. There was a research study done a few years ago. That one surprised me. That's probably worse than the tea bags. And the pollution in the ground from rain is making your organic produce a mute point.

[Anonymous]

Ideally, steep your tea bag for 1-2 minutes then take your teabag out, wrap on tea spoon to prevent dripping and and place on tea saucer. In America wihtout tea saucers and tea spoons, it's okay for your tea to be bitter with not takin the tea bag out since Americans are innocently post history.

[Anonymous]

Real Brits use tea bags without the string. They don't use loose leaf tea for everyday tea.

I don't love tea anymore.

Tea gives me horrible stomach pain.

I used to love Aveda licorice tea and the Yogi tea of the same flavor. I can't drink it anymore.

[Anonymous]

Most tea bags have crappy tea. That's why I use high-quality loose leaf. Not worried about microplastics, worried about it actually tasting good.

[Anonymous]

Worrying about this stuff so much is a sign of clinical anxiety.

[Anonymous]

We’re scaring ourselves to death.

[Anonymous]

I’m a tea loving teacher who definitely doesn’t have the time to deal with loose leaf tea at work. I guess I’ll switch to the “better” brands?

Literally everything is going to kill us. It’s depressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Worrying about this stuff so much is a sign of clinical anxiety.

So true. We’re all gonna die anyway. And we’re all filled with red dye and microplastics.