Microplastics are turning up everywhere—in our bodies, our brains, and now, in every drink we consume.
A new study from the UK has found that 100% of all hot and cold beverages tested, from tea and coffee to bottled water and soft drinks, are contaminated with synthetic plastic particles.
The study analyzed 155 beverage samples from popular UK brands and found not a single one was free from microplastics.
The findings are deeply concerning. Microplastics, or MPs, are tiny plastic pieces that range in size from 1 micrometer to 5 millimeters. These particles are known to pollute oceans, rivers, soil, and even the air. As they circulate through the environment, they also make their way into the human body through food, water, and air.
Previous studies have found microplastics in blood, lungs, breast milk, and even in newborn babies. But now, researchers are shedding light on how beverages—a major part of daily life—also play a large role in human microplastic exposure.
The team behind this new study tested beverages that people commonly drink every day. These included tea, coffee, energy drinks, juices, soda, tap water, and bottled water. Surprisingly, the more expensive tea bags had even more microplastics than the cheaper brands.
Researchers discovered particles from plastics such as polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene, and polyethylene terephthalate—types commonly used in food packaging and disposable containers.
To carry out the study, scientists collected 31 different products and tested five separate samples from each one. They used advanced lab techniques to filter the liquids and isolate microplastic particles. Then, they examined the samples under a microscope and used spectroscopy to identify the types and sizes of the plastic particles.
The results were striking. Most of the plastic pieces found were small fragments, not fibers or beads, and they ranged in size from 10 to 157 micrometers. Polypropylene was the most common type of plastic detected.
What’s even more alarming is that hot beverages, such as tea, had much higher levels of contamination than cold ones. Hot tea had about 60 particles per liter, iced tea had 31, and soft drinks had around 17. The scientists believe that heat causes more plastic to leach from the containers or tea bags into the drink.
According to the study, the average daily intake of microplastics from beverages is around 1.65 particles per kilogram of body weight. Women were found to consume about 1.7 MPs/kg per day, and men about 1.6 MPs/kg per day.
These numbers are much higher than estimates based on drinking water alone, showing that our overall exposure through beverages is being significantly underestimated.
This study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, emphasizes the need to pay closer attention to microplastic contamination in all forms of fluids we consume—not just water. It also raises questions about the safety of our food and drink packaging and how daily habits may unknowingly increase our exposure to plastic pollution.
More research is needed to fully understand how microplastics impact human health, but this study makes one thing clear: it’s not just what we eat, but what we drink—and how it’s packaged—that matters.
The study is published in Science of The Total Environment.
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