I love the taste of tea. Since I got used to it, I no longer consume coffee or other caffeinated beverages. All kinds of tea can be used for a range of different purposes.
When it comes to buying tea, there are the herbal varieties, green tea, black tea and many other blends.
This is the primary consideration I have when going to the grocery store. New research, however, suggests that the tea bag itself could be contributing to some problems. Is bagged tea dangerous and what kinds of problems can it lead to?
Dangers of Paper (Mesh) Tea Bags
The paper bag is the traditional variety, and I occasionally buy such tea because it is practical and convenient. Just like you, I never thought that the material the bag is made of could be a cause of problems.
We all know that paper disintegrates in liquids. There has to be some particular processing for the tea bag to remain intact. Unfortunately, the procedure utilizes epichlorohydrin – something that epoxy resins are made of and is also used as a pesticide.
When epichlorohydrin comes in contact with water, it “hydrolyzes” (a scientific term for decompose) to 3-MCPD, a known carcinogen that has also been linked to in infertility and suppressed immune function.
This is an issue considering that tea bags are intended to be completely submerged in water.
Plastic Tea Bags
There are some modern, really fancy varieties of tea bags. These look really cool and modernistic and I have purchased such tea varieties. Looking fancy, however, comes with a hidden danger.
The tea bags are made of food-grade nylon, which is safer than other varieties of plastic. Its leaching potential is limited but don’t hurry to the store in search of such tea varieties. Such bags pose another problem.
A factor known as glass transition temperature Tg comes into play. That is the temperature at which the molecule in particular materials such as polymers begins to break down.
As a rule, the Tg material is always lower than the melting point. In the case of PET and food grade nylon (either nylon 6 or nylon 6-6), all have a Tg lower than the temperature of boiling water.
For example, while the melting point of PET is 482 degrees Fahrenheit, the Tg is about 169 degrees. Both nylons have a lower glass transition temperature than PET.
(Remember that water boils at 212 degrees.) This means the molecules that make up these plastic tea bags begin to break down in hot water.
It is still unclear what the effect of this chemical leakage could be, but I feel like staying away from the modern plastic tea bags.
The Solution?
I know this sounds bad and I have just realized that even my favorite organic tea varieties could be causing some harm due to the fact they are bagged. The good news is that the tea market has so many options to offer that you can easily stay on the safe side.
Loose teas can be bought from many stores and they are available from e-commerce websites like Amazon. Brewing this kind of tea will require a bit more time and effort but it is still a simple task.
A teapot with a built-in diffuser is the simplest option. In essence, it delivers the convenience of a tea bag. You will be free from having to filter the herbs from the liquid before you get to enjoy your favorite cup of tea.
Source : Theatlantic
I drink 3 diffent kind of tea everyday? Is it still healthy..?
@Lenie,
I suggest to use the loose tea leaves, its safer that way. Otherwise you open the tea bags and use the loose leaves to make a tea.
Thank u
Hi. Can i ask if there’s any danger of drinking tea everyday??
@Che Gonzalez.
Its good to drink tea everyday but what I was trying to say here is the danger of bagged tea.