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Microplastics are all around us – in the air We breathe, in seas and riversthey are found In the shark gutsand within growing plants.
They are also inside humans too: in our blood,, accumulate in our brainand even In our testicles.
It is therefore not surprising to learn that one of the main means of entering the body is through the fluids that we drink. Previous studies have established that microplastics are present in both tap water And bottled waterBut new research has revealed that hot drinks can be an even greater source of microplastics than what had been done previously.
A research team at University of Birmingham Tested 155 common carbonated drinks, including hot and cold drinks, so that microplastics have an image of average human exposure through a realistic spectrum of daily drinks available in a country.
The study, considered the first of its kind, revealed that the highest concentrations of microplastics were hot tea and hot coffee.
The study also tested iced tea and coffee for microplastics, but found it much less, which suggests that the temperatures and high processes used to make hot drinks contribute to the microplastic levels that are found in the product.
The team estimated 31 different types of drinks in total of British popular brands, all bought in supermarkets and cafes in 2024. These included hot and icy coffee, hot and icy tea, juices, energy drinks and carbonated drinks.
The samples were filtered, then the number of microplastics was determined by microscope imaging. Cold drinks were filtered immediately, while hot drinks were left to cool for 30 minutes before the analysis.
Hot tea in disposable cups contained the highest level of microplastics (MPS), with an average of 22 MPS per cup, against 14 MPS per cup for glass cups. More expensive tea bags have designed the largest amount of plastic, depending on the study, with an average of 24 to 30 MPS per cup.
Likewise, the research team said that for hot coffee, their results “strongly suggest that disposable cup equipment is a main source of [microplastics] In our hot coffee samples ”.
As all the samples were not the size of a cup, the team expressed its overall microplastic results per liter.
- Hot tea: 49 to 81 MPS per liter
- Hot coffee: 29 to 57 MPS per liter
- Iced tea: 24 to 38 mps per liter
- Iced coffee: 31 to 43 MPS per liter
- Fruit juice: 19 to 41 MPS per liter
- Energy drinks: 14 to 36 MPS per liter
- Gaser drinks: 13 to 21 MPS per liter
The authors said that their study “proves for the first time that the assessment of exposure via unique drinking water could considerably underestimate the risk” posed to humans by a higher prevalence of microplastics in other drinks.
The same team Research published in 2024revealing the average concentration of microplastics in tap water (24 to 56 MP per liter) was “statistically indistinguishable” from that of bottled water (26 to 48 Mp per liter).
They declared that the new research “serves a critical step towards a better understanding of the extent of the exposure to MPS in real scenarios and advocates more complete studies for a precise assessment of the risks of MPS contribution via food sources, to allow broader interventions in environmental and public health”.
They added: “Our results also confirmed the plastic packaging material as a major MPS source with studied drinks. High concentrations of MPS have been detected in hot coffee and tea, compared to the icy version of the same drink, highlighting the role of temperature in improving the release of MPS from hot drinks.”
