How your tea bags can cause cancer

Most tea bags are made from different types of plastic including viscose rayon, nylon, and some are made of PVC, polypropylene or thermoplastic. If you are familiar with the dangers of plastic in general, you'd know how dangerous it is to have tea bags made of them. Paper tea bags are also not better as the same chemical is used to keep the paper intact in water.

What is this chemical?

To keep your tea bag strong when you dip it into your hot water, it's treated with Epichlorohydrina. When this chemical is added to water, it hydrolyses to 3-MCPD, which is a known carcinogen. This cancer causing agent has also been linked to asthma, kidney and liver damage as well suppressed immune function and infertility. In other words, when you dip your tea bag into hot water, the bag leaches these dangerous compounds.

The safe alternative

Mesh and silk tea bags are generally safer, however, there are serious concerns about manufactures selling plastic tea bags advertised as mesh and silk. It's therefore difficult to trust which brand is the safe option. The safest and best way to ensure your tea is free from toxic chemicals is to have loose teas. Yes, this ensures that you have the tea without worrying about what leaks in the hot beverage you are about to enjoy, or which health complication it could contribute to in the long term. Personally, I have been using loose tea since January this year and I feel much better (and in control) knowing that there are no question marks on the safety of my tea.

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