Plastic tea bags release nano and micro-plastics when you make a brew (Image: Getty)
Simple swaps in the kitchen such as choosing different tea bags could reduce day-to-day exposure to plastic particles, experts have recommended. A recent study found that the average human brain may contain more than a teaspoon of plastic, or about 7g. The health effects of micro and nano-plastic are not yet fully understood, but the amount found in brain tissue was up to 30 times higher than in other organs such as the liver or kidney.
Writing in the journal Brain Medicine, experts said that avoiding all exposure is likely to be impossible, but steps could be taken to reduce dietary intake. Switching from bottled water to filtered tap water alone could reduce microplastics intake from 90,000 to 4,000 particles per year, they estimated.
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Dr Brandon Luu, an internal medicine resident at the University of Toronto in , said: ”Bottled water alone can expose people to nearly as many microplastic particles annually as all ingested and inhaled sources combined.
“Switching to tap water could reduce this exposure by almost 90%, making it one of the simplest ways to cut down on microplastic intake.”
Other significant sources include plastic tea bags and plastic food containers, particularly when used to heat food in the microwave.
“Avoiding plastic food storage and using glass or stainless steel alternatives is a small but meaningful step in limiting exposure,” Dr Luu added.
The experts noted that choices could also make a difference, as highly like chicken nuggets contain 30 times more microplastics per gram than chicken breasts due to the use of plastic in industrial processing.
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Their commentary added that it remained unclear whether such steps would result in a measurable reduction in the accumulation of plastic particles in human tissues.
They wrote: “Further studies are needed to determine whether these strategies are effective in eliminating microplastics from the body.
“Future research should prioritise establishing clear exposure limits and assessing the long-term health consequences of microplastic intake.
“Large-scale human studies are needed to determine the dose-response relationship between microplastic exposure and chronic health outcomes such as endocrine disorders and cognitive disease.”