Spilling The Tea - A Look At The Dangers Of Teabags And An Option For Better Brewing

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Spilling The Tea - A Look At The Dangers Of Teabags And An Option For Better Brewing

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Spilling The Tea - A Look At The Dangers Of Teabags And An Option For Better Brewing

13 min read APR 21, 2026

Quick Answer

Tea is one of the world’s most prized beverages, and yet, enjoying a cup daily could be wreaking havoc on your health and the health of the planet. Multiple studies prove the presence of micro and nanoplastics in teabags, as well as a variety of other chemicals which are hazardous to both human and planetary health. Here, we’re detailing the potential dangers of teabags and looking at a better, healthier option to enjoy.

Key Takeaways

Spilling the tea about tea - detailing hidden woes in tea leaves, teabags, production by-products, and environmental impacts
Better Brewing, Lifeboost Tea - a list of Lifeboost Tea qualities, discussing organic origin, loose leaf prioritization, taste, and peace of mind regarding a clean, environmentally friendly product

A hot cup of black tea in the morning is stress-relieving, calming, and allows you to begin your day from a place of peace.

Likewise, a warm cup of herbal tea in the evening envelopes you in a sense of calm, properly preparing your body for hours of rest and rejuvenation.
These tea-inspired times not only serve as prized peaceful moments, but with the right tea, these sips can also provide your body with polyphenols and other inflammation and disease fighting antioxidants which serve more than your palate and mental/emotional state.

Sounds great, right?

Unfortunately, there’s much to spill these days when it comes to tea!

The truth of the matter is, much of the tea consumed today could be causing more harm than good for sippers across the globe.

Bottled iced teas, bubble teas, and aesthetically pleasing bags and sachets containing both conventional and organic tea leaves are commonly made of toxic materials that could be accumulating in your body, leading to an increased risk of inflammation and disease.

Which leads us to ask…

What chemicals?

Which products contain these harmful substances?

How do these chemicals affect humans and the environment?

Is there a way to avoid these contaminants?

We’re answering these questions and more today as we spill the tea…about tea!

Spilling The Tea…About Tea

In today’s day and time, most of us regularly hear of the toxic exposure we encounter on a daily basis in everything from hygiene products, fragrances, foods, water, clothing, and even the air we breathe.

Multiple studies have been conducted over the course of many years, each recording the presence, source, and accumulation of these toxins in the human body.

And the thing is, when we do something regularly, consuming a daily cup of tea, for example, toxic exposure concerns compound significantly.

And, when it comes to tea, billions of people could potentially be increasing their toxic load more than they realize.

The most common source of such harmful exposure generally comes down to what your tea is packaged in; however, there’s more to consider when it comes to toxins and tea.

Tea Leaves

Before we dive into packaging, let’s first pull the wool back regarding tea.

Many of us grew up knowing little about loose leaf tea, only being accustomed to finely ground tea proportioned in small bags attached to a string.

The thing is, most packaged or bagged tea ‘leaves’ much to be desired, and we’re not just talking about flavor.

Bagged tea is usually finely ground, sometimes even consisting of the dust which remains after tea leaves have been factory processed.

Unfortunately, bagged teas are also notoriously low quality.

And, while this certainly doesn’t mean that all bagged teas are poor options, non-organic choices generally consist of pesticide and other chemical residue as these are typically not rinsed prior to drying.

To add, when tea quality is already poor, you can generally expect the packaging to follow suit.

Tea Bags

Tea bags are a big problem when it comes to toxin exposure. And, I suppose this goes without saying, but they’re harmful for the environment as well.

One of the biggest toxic concerns surrounding tea bags is microplastics, with studies showing billions of particles per bag entering the body.

“In one experiment, researchers reported that a single plastic teabag released about 14.7 billion tiny particles under the brewing and measurement conditions used in the study.”

“Another study reported about 1.3 billion particles per bag.”

Many folks assume teabags are made of paper, but unfortunately, some bags blend these plant fibers with plastic, and this doesn't even account for plastic mesh sachets and bags which contain polypropylene, a substance used as a heat-seal layer which protects the packaging seams when exposed to hot water.

Even teabags labeled as compostable or biodegradable could be misleading as some tests revealed plastic remnants in these items as well.

And, no matter how they’re labeled, when there’s plastic present in the bag, this inevitably ends up in your tea, essentially cooked into your cup as it steeps in hot water.

Aside from plastic, many teabags are also constructed using nylon or bleached paper, glue is used to attach string, and in some cases, to increase the strength of the teabag, chemicals like epichlorohydrin are added.

Each of these contributes to toxic build up in your body, and to make matters worse, some of these chemicals are highly carcinogenic.

Then, what about bottled teas or bubble teas?

Each of these are packaged in plastic as well, contaminating the beverage.

Even with the removed element of heat, a 24-ounce plastic bottle of tea is said to contain 24-38 microplastics per litre, and this doesn’t take into account whether or not the tea was initially prepared using contaminated tea bags under intense heat.

Think microplastics and other teabag-specific chemicals don’t matter?

A 2024 study in Barcelona found that teabag released microplastics and nanoplastics were “readily absorbed by cells in human intestines.”

To add, “microplastic particles have now been found in human livers, brains, lungs, blood, and placentas.”

And unfortunately, teabags and plastic bottles aren’t the only concerns when it comes to this beverage.

Production By-Products

As if tea leaves, teabags, and plastic bottle packaging weren't alarming enough, tea can also be exposed to a number of other contaminants throughout the production process.

We briefly touched on most of these things above, but this is where messaging can be deceiving, so I wanted to take a few moments to point out a few things:

Bleach - Even with organic teas and plant-based teabags, sometimes these bags are then soaked in chlorine dioxide (bleach) to “improve” the appearance of the product.

Chlorine dioxide dissolves in water, so as you can imagine, each time you steep your tea, this chemical becomes a part of what you’re sipping.

Epichlorohydrin - This is another chemical which received a brief mention above, but its use can be deceptive as even teabags made from paper (as opposed to plastic) could contain this harmful substance.

In the case of paper tea bags, the material needs to be porous to allow the liquid to reach the tea within the bag, so epichlorohydrin is added to provide strength to the paper, which will inevitably weaken as the bag steeps in hot water.

In animal lab studies, epichlorohydrin has been known to cause cancer.

Glues and Sealing Agents - To keep the dried tea from essentially leaking or spilling out of the teabag, most companies seal the bags with either a staple or a sealing agent, both of which can contaminate your cup.

In the case of sealing agents and glues, polypropylene is commonly used, a thermoplastic polymer approved for use in foods and beverages which is also linked to endocrine disruption, inflammatory responses, cellular damage, and potential metabolic disturbances.

Now, it’s tempting to think simply removing the tea leaves or powder from the teabags could be a viable solution to avoiding such exposure.

But unfortunately, while this could cut down on exposure during heating/steeping, it doesn’t negate the fact that the tea has already been contaminated, nor does it erase the negative environmental implications.

Environmental Impact

You’ve likely heard that the use of the term “natural” is not regulated, meaning it can be deceptively used in food and beverage packaging and item descriptions.
But, did you know that this same lack of regulation occurs with other terms too, such as the word biodegradable.

As long as an item will eventually, like decades down the road, potentially degrade, it can be listed as biodegradable.

And, when it comes to tea bags, these plastics, papers reinforced with plastic, nylon, glues, bleaches, and other chemicals, when discarded, become a significant source of pollution.

The plastic pollution alone is a growing concern as these materials accumulate in landfills, but the chemical load isn’t just something that’s harming the human body with consumption - it’s also negatively impacting our planet.

And, as bleak as this is, our discussion hasn’t even touched on the aspect of sustainably farming and/or sourcing tea, another factor greatly impacting ecosystems around the globe through monofarming, deforestation, and the destruction of biodiversity.
Depressing, I know!

So, there’s got to be a better way…

Better Brewing - Lifeboost Tea

Lifeboost Coffee customers are quite familiar with our quality standards, much of which stems from our focus on health and wellness, especially when it comes to our beloved daily cup of joe.

But, what about our line of teas?

Can you expect the same standards, quality, and cup here as well?

We’ve covered a lot of gloom and doom today regarding tea, so surely there’s a break in the (London) fog, right?

Thankfully…yes!

As you likely know, here at Lifeboost we’ve bucked the conventionally grown coffee system, doing things differently in each step of production - from sourcing to growing, harvesting, processing, and roasting coffee, incorporating our TrustPure Process from start to finish to ensure sustainability, quality, purity, health, and more.

And, our teas are held to the same rigorous standards, the same TrustPure Process, the same third-party testing for molds, heavy metals, and more than 450 other toxins to ensure each sip isn’t just the best tasting tea you’ll enjoy but also a cup that’s good for your body and our planet!

So, we’d like to close out with a little run-down of what you can expect with Lifeboost
Tea…

Organic

All of our teas are organic.

Our herbal teas?

Organic Egyptian chamomile flowers
Organic Egyptian hibiscus
Fine organic South African rooibos
Organic rose hips and rose petals
Rich, organic fruits (blackberry leaves, orange peels, apple pieces, berries)

Our black tea?

Organic Sri Lankan black tea
Organic bergamot oil

In other words, with this organic certification, you can know each sip is sustainably grown, clean and pure…no fluff, no bad stuff.

And, as we stated above, our teas undergo the same rigorous testing and processing as our coffee, meaning they’re 100% clean, 100% of the time.

Loose Leaf

While there are a few clean tea bag options on the market, organic loose-leaf tea is the best way to avoid the plastics, chemicals, and everything in between that we detailed in our discussion above.

This is, of course, why we’ve chosen loose leaf for Lifeboost Teas.

When brewing, you can use a glass or stainless-steel infusing option which not only showcases the exceptional flavors in our loose-leaf teas but does so without plastics, glues, bleach, etc.

Loose leaf tea is also more flavorful than bagged tea, and you can better control the amount of tea you use in each cup.

For instance, I prefer a stronger tea, so I typically add more than what is commonly recommended, but with loose leaf you can scale those amounts back to suit your preference as well.

Even better, loose leaf tea is best for the planet as it reduces packaging, eliminates tea bag waste, and is completely, truly biodegradable.

Taste

I could describe the taste of each one of our teas all day long.

I could even list the organic ingredients and attempt to describe each note and flavor.

But frankly, all of that info is listed under each selection on our website, and if I was reading this article, personally, I’d rather hear about experience.

So, if you’ll allow me to geek out about our teas for a moment…

First, a confession - I love tea - so much so that I’d choose tea over coffee any day, all day, every day.

Now, I still drink coffee from time to time for the health benefits, but tea, oh friends, there’s just nothing that compares in my book.

So, when our CEO first introduced the Lifeboost line of teas, to say I was excited is an understatement! And, after one sip (and countless more since), I can firmly say that my enthusiasm was by no means unfounded!

I’m normally not a huge fan of herbal teas (black and green all the way for me), but the lull our Golden Sand Serenity tea brought about before bedtime…it’s simply undeniable, and beyond welcomed for this intermittent insomniac.

Our Champagne Bliss and Crimson Hibiscus teas, in my opinion, are your best friend when prepared cold on a hot summer day. I especially love adding a handful of frozen organic berries to either of these.

And, our Empire State Sunrise Black Tea, this one has my heart!

It has a mild earl grey flavor from the inclusion of a touch of bergamot oil, a robust black tea without the bitterness or fuzzy tongue feeling (iykyk), a smooth kiss from your cup, hot or iced.

I’ve yet to find a black tea that comes close in comparison, and this isn’t just because of the flavor, which brings me to our next point…

Peace Of Mind

My at-home tea collection, even prior to Lifeboost, was intense - refined over several years, well-researched, all clean, organic, etc.

The thing is, I cannot begin to accurately describe the difference, the very noticeable difference, I experienced upon first sipping Lifeboost Tea.

I’m not saying those other teas weren’t organic. I’m not saying they didn’t claim to put a great deal of care towards ensuring their product was clean.

But I am saying I truly felt like I was sipping clean, pure, organic tea for the first time when trying our teas.

And again, this is coming from someone who drinks tea every single day.

The thing is, it’s as if the clean and pure aspect of our tea compounds, elevating not only flavor, but peace of mind as well.

In other words, you don’t just know you’re sipping a clean, organic tea by our testimony alone - you can actually taste it - then, you can also feel it as your body thanks you for the upgrade.

Lifeboost Teas are even great when prepared cold (in my opinion).

So, during the summer months when you’d typically reach for a plastic bottle of iced tea, complete with a not-so-healthy dose of microplastics, chemicals from production by-products, and more, instead, swap that for something you made in your own kitchen, using ingredients you can feel confident about in regards to your health and the environment.

Tip - I love making iced tea the same way I make cold brew coffee, in a large mason jar with a stainless-steel mesh filter.

Just add a touch more tea per 8 ounces than you would when making it hot, place the jar in the sunshine, if possible (or on your countertop), and let the tea work its magic until it reaches your personally desired hue.

Then, as with a hot cup of tea, sip in peace, knowing you’re giving your body a clean, environmentally friendly, indulgent treat!

FAQ

1- What if I don’t want to use an infuser, are there safe, environmentally friendly tea bag options?

If you must use a tea bag, there are some options available that won’t hinder your health or the health of our planet.

When brewing loose leaf tea with a bag, look for the following options:

Compostable tea bags
Tea bags made from plant fibers alone
Unbleached bags
Tea bags without tags or strings
Unbleached, untreated paper bags which utilize cotton stitching rather than glue
Plant-based mesh satchels

Check out Lifeboost Coffee Grata Medium Roast .

Becky Livingston Vance Content writer

Becky is a mother, educator, and content writer for Lifeboost Coffee. She has had three years’ experience as a writer, and in that time she has enjoyed creatively composing articles and ebooks covering the topics of coffee, health and fitness, education, recipes, and relationships.

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