Is your cup of tea killing you?

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

This makes for an interesting, if alarming, read.

Plastic tea bags are releasing billions of microplastics into your tea - Geographical Magazine

For a nation that consumes up to 60.2 billion cups of tea a year, this has caused concern and while there is as yet no evidence that the plastics affect human health, the United Nations has said more research is needed to fully understand the effect plastics have on the body

And ties in with this article (New evidence points to microplastics’ toxic impact on the human body - Geographical Magazine), also regarding plastics and our inadvertent consumption of them.

The launch of the Plastic Health Summit, taking place 3 October, aims to set the record straight by releasing the results of a study from the University Medical Centre (UMC) Utrecht that indicates immune cells that recognise and attack microplastics die quickly as a result of the contact.

 

[TastyReuben]

I read that recently as well. As far as I know, of the maybe 30 different bagged teas I have, only one uses a plastic mesh bag. I don't care for their tea that much anyway, so I wasn't planning on ordering more.

 

[Morning Glory]

Apart from anything else there is no need for plastic teabags - they add to the tide of plastic which doesn't bio-degrade. I think that they will probably be phased out due to the increasing awareness of this issue & public pressure. I use PG tips and they are made of paper. It seems to be only expensive teas that come in plastic.

 

[rascal]

Ours are dilmah earl grey and mesh type, if it was plastic I wouldn't use it.

Russ

 

[Windigo]

Good for me that I don't use plastic tea bags! I prefer loose tea anyway

 

[MypinchofItaly]

I don't even use plastic tea bags, I use paper ones, but above all I have many tea leaf packs

 

[Lullabelle]

Didn't know you could get plastic tea bags, we buy Sainsburys red label which are in paper bags.

 

[TastyReuben]

Here's the one tea we have in a plastic mesh bag:

Ask, feel free to read my palm.

 

[cookieee]

You will live a long and happy life. But use some hand lotion.

 

[Mewmew]

I didn't know there were plastic tea bags - do now. Wouldn't use them. Paper is better.

 

[epicuric]

My understanding is that this is not about plastic teabags per se (although a bad idea, obviously), but about what appear to be paper teabags that actually have micro plastics embedded in them. It's worth doing a bit of research on the brands you use - you may be be using teabags containing plastic without knowing it!

 

[Kenmiller]

My tea is not killing me, because we are not using tea bags and prefer only lemon tea with cinnamon.

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

Are we going to die?

When one of our girls was 10, she did a paper on the historic and famous Empress Tea Room in Victoria BC.

We were to visit my sister in Seattle soon after.
A visit to the few hours drive/float away Empress Tea Room in Canada at the Fairmont Hotel where we booked a room was part of the trip.

Just passing over the border in those days they'd only ask are you here seeking employment and do you have any firearms?
It was 6.7C outside as we drove off the Ferry boat into Canada. Just pass the border officials inspection we were greeted by soiled doves in tight shorts and tank tops with sandals walking and soliciting around the ramp leading to the street.
At 10, my daughter knew what those girls were up to. Surprised the heck out of me both the show out the cars window and that my daughter was hep to it all.
That's all changed now.

Anyway, tea at the Empress back then was about $35 if I remember correctly ($75 US now) and that was very expensive. I remember a big tax tacked onto it too. A good value for what you get IMHO. Priceless memory and experience for my daughter that got to experience in person something she wrote about in school.
I love the history and the service and the quality of the tea with it's unique atmosphere and style.

If it kills me it was worth it.