Can nylon tea bags release microplastics into your cup of tea?

What's actually in it

Many premium tea bags are made from nylon or PET mesh instead of paper. These see-through pyramid-shaped bags look elegant, but the plastic breaks down when soaked in boiling water. Each time you brew a cup, the bag releases tiny plastic fragments into your tea.

What the research says

A 2026 study in Environ Sci Process Impacts used optical coherence tomography (OCT) to watch microplastic release from nylon tea bags in real time. The researchers confirmed that nylon tea bags shed microplastics into simulated brewed tea. Hotter water and longer steeping times increased the number of particles released.

A single cup of tea brewed with a nylon bag can contain thousands of microplastic particles. People who drink multiple cups a day accumulate more. The particles are small enough to interact with your gut lining.

Switch to loose-leaf tea with a stainless steel infuser or use paper tea bags. If you buy bagged tea, check the packaging to confirm the bags are made from unbleached paper, not nylon or plastic mesh.