Tea Bags Contain Billions of Plastic Particles, Study Finds A report published in ‘Environmental Science & Technology’ uncovered the alarming amount of microplastics that are present in plastic tea bags. Researchers discovered that, when brewed at 203 degrees, a single plastic teabag releases around 11.6 billion microplastic particles. In each tested tea bag, plastic pieces measuring between 500 nanometers and 5 millimeters in size were found in the steeped water. When tested on water fleas, these microscopic particles caused significant “malformations.” Nathalie Tufenkji, McGill University Researcher, via NewScientist Although it is unclear how the particles effect humans, Tufenkji believes that people should stick to paper tea bags or loose-leaf tea.
