We all have heard about the numerous benefit of green tea but did you know that green tea bags can be harmful to the environment? 

Last year in month of September researchers at McGill University, Canada had analyzed the effects of placing four different commercial tea bags into boiling water. They found that a single bag releases around 11.6 billion micro plastic particles, and 3.1 billion even smaller Nano plastic particles, into the cup. This is way higher than the amount of plastic previously found in other foods and drinks.

Contrary to popular belief that green tea bags are made from tea and paper, they are instead packed using nylon, rayon and even polypropylene which is hazardous to our health. 

Here are four reasons why you should stop using green tea bags

1. Contain less EGCG content- EGCG refers to Epigallocatechin gallate, a chemical that gives green tea its antioxidant properties and aids weight loss. EGCG is considerably less in black tea because it is either partially or fully oxidized, but “a study conducted by OLIVEIRA in 2012 confirmed a low level of ECGG present in marketed tea bags. The study confirmed the presence of 1.09 to 2.29mg of ECGC in each green tea bag which is very less to produce the therapeutic antioxidant activity.

2. Contains dust and fanning- The tea leaves present in teabags are very small because their packaging process includes chopping, slicing and dicing the leaves into small particles. These particles range from 0.2 to 1.5 millimeters which, in turn, produces a lot of dust. As a result of all this slicing and dicing, the tea compounds interact with moisture and oxygen, leading to rapid quality loss.

3. Harmful for the environment- Teabags are made up of plastic, as a result of which they don’t get decomposed and act as a threat to the environment. As per the Environmental Audit Committee, tea bags are a major source for polluting our water system due to the non-recyclable components. In regards to this make sure your tea bag is free of epichlorohydrin, a chemical some manufacturers add to prevent the bags from breaking down quickly.

4. The stapled bit of the tea bag is not good for you- Have you noticed how the string of your tea bag is stapled to a thin string. When you frequently dip the bag into the cup of water. The staple pin can lend a slight metallic taste to the tea. This not only is dangerous but also ruins the efficacy of the tea.