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YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
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YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

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  1. Home
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Study finds humans eat a credit card worth of microplastics each week

And your cup of tea could be the culprit. - by Laura Barry
  • 30 Sep 2019
Study finds humans eat a credit card worth of microplastics each week

The amount of microplastics in the world’s waterways is a problem that many of us have known about for a while now. However, new research conducted for the World Wildlife Foundation in conjunction with the University of Newcastle and Dalberg has discovered the true amount of microplastic humans are ingesting each week.

The study, Assessing plastic ingestion from nature to people, found that the average person ingests five grams of plastic each week – the equivalent of chowing down a credit card once per week, due to the presence of microplastic.

plastic fragments on fingertips
Getty

Microplastics are pieces of plastic smaller than 5mm that appear in food, water and air. These plastics can come from artificial clothing fibres, microbeads and large pieces of plastic that have been broken down. Once these plastics are ingested by marine life, it ends up in the human food chain.

Scarily, it seems our daily cup of tea may also be compromised.

hands holding a cup of tea
Getty

Another study by McGill University in Canada used electron microscopy to find that tea bags made of plastic, when placed in water at brewing temperature, released about 11.6 billion microplastic and 3.1 billion nanoplastic particles into the water. These levels were thousands of times higher than those reported previously in other foods. While the harmful effects of plastic ingestion haven’t yet been identified, it’s safe to assume that eating plastic isn’t all that good for us.  

So, what can you do to help prevent drinking down microplastics with your tea? Avoid plastic teabags and choose paper tea bags or loose-leaf tea – which is even better as it reduce much single-use packaging.

Did you know balloons are a massive issue for our environment? Watch the news story below on why one mum is on a mission to ban balloons. 

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Laura Barry
Laura Barry
Laura Barry is a writer, bookworm and interior design enthusiast with a love for reporting on all things homes, travel and lifestyle. When not tapping away at her keyboard, Laura can be found making endless cups of tea or perusing the shelves of Sydney’s many bookstores.

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YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR
Watch 6:32

YOU’LL NEED A WEDGE TO HANG THAT DOOR

{headline}

{headline}

The best diets of 2020 have been named

The best diets of 2020 have been named

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Living by the water makes you healthier, happier and calmer

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Research reveals 30-year-olds get the worst hangovers

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Study reveals people with glasses are usually more intelligent

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Choc chip cookies not only delicious, but addictive, says study

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Udder Delights Cheese recalled due to E.coli contamination

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Health tips for coping with smoke haze

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