Your tea may contain billions of microplastic particles

You may have seen some of the new, fancy tea bags. They look so elegant – their pyramid shapes, their silky texture, their luxurious feel. Many tea and coffee shops are now choosing these tea bags to serve your warm beverage. But a new study shows that these tea bags are in fact plastic – and that plastic ends up in your tea. In fact, billions of microparticles end up in one cup of tea. It is unknown what the health risks might be of this, if any, but why choose to drink plastic? The environmental impacts of plastic microparticles all over the world is just beginning to be studied. A research project is currently underway to assess the impact of microplastics becoming part of the earth’s geology – literally sedimentary layers of plastic – in the Great Lakes. In the future, it’s likely that many layers of plastic will become part of the earth’s crust, and could become part of wildlife, and us. Plastic could become as much a part of the environment as are trees and plants. Perhaps something to consider before you buy that drink in a plastic bottle, or have that cup of tea.