Scientists have discovered: tea bags release billions of toxic particles into water

The experiment conducted by university specialists involved modeling the tea brewing process: tea bags were placed in water at different temperatures - cold, warm, and hot (20, 50, and 100 °C).

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to RG.ru, it was established that the amount of microplastic changed depending on the temperature increase and brewing duration. "In just one hour, billions of particles entered the water from a single tea bag. Their concentration reached 14 billion per liter for synthetic bags and up to 170 billion for cellulose ones," noted the university. This data was obtained using nanoparticle tracking analysis.

It is also reported that the study included eight types of tea from different brands. "In the first stage, scientists determined the composition of the tea bags. Infrared spectroscopy and calorimetric methods revealed the presence of two types of polymers: synthetic - nylon and polypropylene in pyramid-shaped bags, as well as natural cellulose in flat ones," explained the university.

Alexander Yaroslavov, chief researcher at the Novgorod polymer modeling laboratory, emphasized that polymer particles can bind toxic substances from the surrounding solution. These include water-soluble polymers with cationic groups, widely used in water treatment. "Cationic groups provide polycations with high positive charge, which makes them toxic to microorganisms, including beneficial ones. When such polycations bind to negatively charged microplastic particles, these particles become toxic. Using model negatively charged polymeric microspheres, we showed that the polycation can migrate between microplastic particles," the scientist explained.

The university added that more precise conclusions about the effect of polymeric nanoparticles on living organisms will be possible after experiments on cells of other types. Meanwhile, specialists emphasize that we should not forget about traditional loose leaf tea and recommend choosing flat cellulose tea bags.