Once again, the internet is warning us that a healthy habit might actually be harming us. The latest scare is about tea. Are you actually brewing up a cup of microplastics, heavy metals, and chemical additives?
Once again, the internet is warning us that a healthy habit might actually be harming us. The latest scare is about tea. Are you actually brewing up a cup of microplastics, heavy metals, and chemical additives?
Find a full transcript here.
Additional episodes mentioned in this episode:
What's the difference between hazard and risk?
Research mentioned in this episode:
2013 analysis of commercial teas
Additional resources from this episode:
Plastic Free Tea Bags: Which Brands are Microplastic Free in 2025
Is your tea bag leaching chemicals, heavy metals, or microplastics into your cuppa? Here's what the science says.
Welcome to the Nutrition Diva podcast, where we take a closer look at nutrition news, research, and trends so that you can feel more confident about what you eat. I’m your host, Monica Reinagel, and today I want to address a question that’s been popping up in my inbox a lot lately: Are tea bags leaching harmful chemicals into our beverages? And if so, what can we do about it?
Concerns about microplastics, heavy metals, and chemical additives in tea bags have been making the rounds online, and it’s got a lot of people wondering whether their comforting daily ritual might actually be doing more harm than good. And I’m not surprised that these warnings are getting so much traction. There’s a weird sort of schadenfreude that seems to arise whenever a supposedly healthy habit is revealed to have a dark side. The internet loves nothing more than to take our sources of comfort and turn them into sources of stress.
But as you might have suspected, the real story is a little more nuanced and less sensational. Yes, there are legitimate concerns here. But no, we don’t need to toss out our entire tea collection. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at the nature of these purported hazards, what the risks might be, and most importantly, put this all into perspective.
Now, you may have noticed that I just used both the words hazard and risk. And you might be wondering—is there actually a difference between those two things? There is, and it's an important one. In fact, I devoted an entire episode to this distinction—Episode #355, if you'd like to check it out.
But here’s the short version: A hazard is something that has the potential to cause harm. A risk is the likelihood that it will actually cause harm, given how we typically interact with it. For example, a toaster is an electrical hazard—but the risk of getting electrocuted while making toast is low, assuming we’re using it properly (as in, not in the bathtub).
In terms of tea bags: Some of the components in certain tea bags may indeed pose hazards. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they present a significant risk to your health—especially in the amounts and contexts we’re talking about. So let’s take a look at what the science actually shows–starting with microplastics, since that seems to be getting the most attention lately.
Recent studies have found that certain types of tea bags—such as those silky, pyramid-shaped tea bags—can release millions or even billions of microplastic particles into a single cup of tea. While that’s a much higher concentration than we find in most other foods, keep in mind that these particles are measured in nanograms–which is one billionth of a gram. To put that into perspective for you, a single grain of table salt weighs about 60,000,000 nanograms. So, we’re talking about an extremely small amount by weight.
The real question is whether consuming these particles poses a health risk. And at this point, the answer is: we don’t know. Microplastics have been shown to cross into cells in lab studies, and researchers are exploring potential links to inflammation, digestive issues, and even chronic diseases. But there’s currently no established causal link between typical dietary exposure and any specific health outcomes. That said, I think this is a situation where minimizing exposure makes sense, especially when it's easy to do.
Now, you might assume that paper tea bags would be safer. And in many cases, they are. But even though you may not see or feel any plastic, they may still be sealed with a thin layer of plastic polymer, like polypropylene. Some are treated with epichlorohydrin—a chemical used to keep the bag from falling apart in hot water, Unfortunately, it’s also classified as a probable human carcinogen. And bleaching agents used in paper processing may leave behind trace residues of dioxins.
All of that sounds pretty alarming, but as the toxicologists are always reminding us, it’s the dose that makes the poison. If these compounds are present at all, it is in very small amounts. Then again, if you’re drinking multiple cups of tea daily, those small exposures can add up over time.
And finally, let’s talk about heavy metals–where the concern is not so much the packaging, but the tea itself. The tea plant has a natural tendency to absorb minerals and metals from the soil where it’s grown—including some that we might prefer not to find in our cup, such as lead, aluminum, and cadmium. These elements accumulate in the leaves and then leach into the tea during brewing.
A 2013 analysis of commercial teas found that several products exceeded recommended lead limits—especially when steeped for longer than three minutes. Steeping time also affects how much aluminum ends up in the brew. And while most teas stayed within limits for other metals like cadmium and mercury, the potential for long-term accumulation still raises concerns, particularly for high-volume tea drinkers.
This is especially relevant during pregnancy, when even relatively small exposures to heavy metals like lead may affect fetal development. So if you’re pregnant—or just drink a lot of tea—it’s worth being a bit more mindful of both what you’re drinking and how you’re preparing it (more about that in a moment).
Herbal teas—or tisanes—can also contain trace levels of heavy metals, by the way, but the levels found in herbal teas are generally quite low and rarely exceed health-based safety limits.
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So far, we’ve been talking about potential hazards of toxic chemical exposure from tea or tea bags–and the degree of actual risk they might represent. Before we get to strategies for minimizing those exposures, let’s zoom out for a moment. Because when it comes to evaluating whether something is “good” or “bad” for us, it’s never only about what it contains. It’s also about what role it plays in our overall diet and lifestyle—and what it might be replacing.
If sipping a cup of tea in the evening helps you wind down instead of reaching for a second glass of wine, or satisfies your desire for something comforting in place of a sugary dessert, that’s a tradeoff that matters. Those choices have real impacts on your overall dietary pattern and health trajectory—and they’re not captured in a chemical analysis.
And let’s not forget: tea itself comes with a long list of health benefits. Decades of research have linked regular tea consumption with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, improved metabolic markers, and in some cases, even cognitive protection. Many of these benefits are thought to come from the antioxidants and other phytochemicals found in tea leaves—compounds that remain intact whether you’re brewing from a bag or steeping loose leaves.
I’m not saying that we should ignore the potential downsides. But rather than swear off tea altogether, here are a few small tweaks and adjustments that can help you minimize any risk.
Seeing as this is a relatively newly recognized issue, many brands may still be in the process of updating their materials or switching to safer options. Packaging labels and company websites will generally have the most current information—so even if a brand isn’t on this list today, they may be taking steps in the right direction.
Plastic Free Tea Bags: Which Brands are Microplastic Free in 2025
I want to stress that for most people, especially those drinking one or two cups a day, the risks appear to be quite low already. But if you’re pregnant, drink large quantities of tea, or just prefer to minimize unnecessary exposures when it’s easy to do, these strategies are a relatively low-effort and high impact way to reduce your exposure.
If you have a question you’d like me to answer, you can email me at nutrition@quickanddirtytips.com. If you’d like to find out about having me speak at your next live or virtual event, you can learn more at wellnessworkshere.com
Nutrition Diva is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast. Holly Hutchings is our Director of Podcasts. Steve Riekeberg is our audio engineer, Morgan Christianson heads up Podcast Operations & Advertising. Thanks also to Nat Hoopes for his support and most of all thanks to you for listening!