Urgent new warning for teabag drinkers

Researchers have issued a new warning to tea drinkers after a new study highlighted the shockingly high levels of plastic found in some teabags.

The research by McGill University in Montreal has found that certain teabags release billions of particles of microplastics into your tea.

And the levels of plastic are so high, that just one single teabag can release billions of particles of microplastics - more than a regular human would consume in an entire year.

The shocking research has left teabag users scrambling, desperate to know whether their everyday teabags are affected.

The good news is that most supermarket teabags are safe - although the plastic used to seal some bags are worrying.

But some ‘fancy’ teabags which often present in the shape of pyramids and are made of stiffer, heavier material that are of particular concern. These teabags are often made from nylon but are confused with being made from silk, and can contain huge levels of plastic.

Researchers found that these bags released around 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastic particles per teabag into the water. These are levels, experts say, which aren’t what you should be consuming on a regular basis.

Perth-based expert author and blogger Lindsay Miles told The Guardian: ‘I’ve been banging on about plastic in tea bags for years. [When I contacted] some of the tea companies, they were saying, ‘people don’t really care’ [about plastics in tea bags] and I’m like, ‘no, people do care, they just don’t know.’

“People may think they’re made of silk, but they’re not.”