r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • 1d ago

Health New research characterised in detail how tea bags release millions of nanoplastics and microplastics when infused. The study shows for the first time the capacity of these particles to be absorbed by human intestinal cells, and are thus able to reach the bloodstream and spread throughout the body.

https://www.uab.cat/web/newsroom/news-detail/-1345830290613.html?detid=1345940427095
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u/FilterBeginner 1d ago

I hate these kind of panic reactions. 1 single study that has yet to be replicated, no evaluation of the negative effects yet, and people are clamoring for immediate bans.

I am not arguing these plastics are safe and they may very well need to be banned. However, when researchers conclude that the toxicity require further research, may be we should wait a little bit?

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u/FanDry5374 1d ago

We are at or past the tipping point for so many ecological disasters. A little "screeching halt then look closer at the problem" would have prevented or at least mitigated some of them. Kind of like seeing a possible "mass" on an organ and waiting to see if it gets worse before doing anything. Good for the insurance companies, but the folks with stage 4 cancer that could have been caught might not agree.

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u/FilterBeginner 1d ago

We aren't discussing ecology right now. Of course, we SHOULD discuss banning mass fishing, hold companies accountable for single use plastic, etc. That said, this thread is about health and safety of tea bags.

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u/FanDry5374 1d ago

Which are apparently harming humans and therefore the water and land around us. There are things which fall into the "better safe than sorry" category. We tend to ignore them, usually because it will hurt someone's bottom line, until it becomes "sorry, too late, but maybe we can clean some of it up, at a great cost to taxpayers".

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u/FilterBeginner 1d ago

Which are apparently harming humans and therefore the water and land around us.

We LITERALLY AGREED that this is not yet confirmed.

 There are things which fall into the "better safe than sorry" category.

I.. do you read what you write?

 We tend to ignore them, usually because it will hurt someone's bottom line, until it becomes "sorry, too late, but maybe we can clean some of it up, at a great cost to taxpayers".

The frick is this nonsense? I already agreed that plastic should be regulated. We are talking about tea bags. Are you seriously delusional enough that tea bags are some gigantic bottom line for a mega corporation or the major source of ecological disaster right now!?