Microplastics from tea bags found in human cell nuclei

A laboratory study published in the journal Chemosphere shows that many common tea bags release billions of micro‑ and nanoplastic particles into the brew. Polypropylene bags emitted the highest concentration (over 1.2 billion particles per millilitre), followed by nylon and then cellulose‑based bags. When the particles were exposed to human intestinal cells in vitro, the cells absorbed them and some fragments migrated to the cell nucleus. Researchers caution that consuming tea brewed in plastic‑lined bags could pose a health risk and suggest switching to loose‑leaf tea while further epidemiological studies are undertaken to assess long‑term effects.