New study uncovers troubling discovery in over 150 beverage samples — here's what was found

A cup of hot tea is, as the BBC observed, "essentially British" — and a new study covered by Medical Xpress contained a worrisome finding concerning this pillar of UK culture. 

What's happening?

Research into the impact of microplastics on human health has been ongoing for two decades, and studies continue to identify novel or easily overlooked exposure routes.

A study published in the September edition of the peer-reviewed journal, Science of the Total Environment, approached microplastics from the latter perspective.

In its abstract, the authors acknowledged that "few studies" focused on microplastic ingestion via the consumption of beverages. However, the authors added that "almost all" presupposed that daily fluid intake was "composed solely of water."

The researchers did not focus exclusively on tea, instead aiming to quantify "total fluid intake," which includes water (tap and bottled), hot beverages, and cold drinks. They adopted what they described as a "tiered approach" of laboratory sample analysis and surveying the public.

In all, researchers sampled 155 "common beverages sold on the UK market," hot and cold alike. Their findings were shockingly stark: 100% of beverages tested contained microplastics.

Levels of microplastics ranged from "negligible" to "as high as 1,400 particles per liter" for certain samples of bottled water.

"Notably, hot tea demonstrated the highest abundance of microplastics," the authors wrote. As you might expect, they attributed higher rates of microplastic contamination in tea to "the role of temperature" in hastening the disintegration of plastic.

Why are these findings important?

That the authors were unable to find a single beverage absent microplastic particles among 155 tested samples alone was concerning.

However, their observations about other studies focusing on water hinted at a gap in broader findings, and their tea-related calculations had broader implications.

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British people may consume hot tea at higher rates than their American counterparts, but it's not as if Americans eschew hot beverages. Researchers mentioned the "role" of heat in leaching plastic particles, and while Americans arguably prefer their tea iced, many drink coffee.

Microplastics weren't formally identified until 2004, so research into their impact on human health, wildlife, and ecosystems remains ongoing. 

What we do know is that microplastics are tenacious and pervasive. They've been found in the deepest ocean trenches, in soil, and even in areas with scant human activity, like Antarctica.

Health-wise, research has revealed a range of concerning outcomes. Microplastics and nanoplastics have been found in human lungs and brain tissue.

Exposure to microplastics has been linked with diverse, adverse outcomes in humans. Research identified potential cognitive effects, damage to organs like the liver and lungs, and reproductive impacts.

What's being done about microplastics exposure and contamination?

As the authors observed, "traditional wastewater treatment processes are inefficient" at removing microplastics from sources of water.

However, that doesn't mean exposure to microplastics is inevitable; there are ways to reduce direct exposure.

The site Mamavation has dedicated considerable resources toward testing many consumer products for contaminants such as microplastics and PFAS, and it has released PFAS testing results across various tea types and brands in recent years. 

At an individual level, using less plastic is known to minimize the ingestion of plastic particulate matter, and replacing your most frequently used items with plastic-free alternatives when possible is another way to reduce microplastic contamination.

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