Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1190334
8 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 6, 2019 (December / January 2020) Founding Editor Glenn Anthony John gaj@octobermultimedia.com Managing Editor Dan Bolton dwb@octobermultimedia.com Art Director Somjet Thitasomboon snt@octobermultimedia.com Coffee Report Dan Shryock dws@octobermultimedia.com Tea Report Peter GW Keen Special Correspondent Sherri Johns Contributing Writers Aravinda Anantharaman (India) Josh Doyle (Korea) Bethany Haye (Colombia) Sunalini Menon (India) Shem Omanga Oirere (Africa) Thomas Schmid (Thailand) Kelly Stein (Brazil) Translations (Chinese) Si Chen | Nan Cui Administrative Assistant Sommai Jekaram asj@octobermultimedia.com Subscriptions Malisa Kongkatitum malisa@stir-tea-coffee.com Sales Director Emerson Leonard edl@octobermultimedia.com Director, October Inter Co., Ltd. Boonthin Tubsongkroh brt@octobermultimedia.com c/o October Inter Co. Ltd. Interchange 21 Bldg., 32nd Fl., Room 3225, 399 Sukhumvit Road, North Klong Toey, Wattana, Bangkok, 10110, Thailand Tel +66 2 660 3789 Fax +66 2 660 3881 www.stir-tea-coffee.com Published by: A Member of: Dr. Point of View Managing Editor Mehmet Oz is America's TV family physician. The 1,680 episodes on health and wellness he has hosted since 2009 attract many as four million viewers. The Dr. Oz Show is among the most highly rated daily television programs. When tea is the topic people listen. In October he addressed the much-discussed research at McGill University where samples of pyramid tea bags from four supermarket brands were found to leach bil- lions of microparticles of plastic into the cup. The sachets and mesh tea bags were made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and food grade nylon 6 or nylon 6-6. These polymers begin to break down at 169°F, well below PET's 482°C melting point. Oz addressed "the risks", citing studies that "found more than 90% of micro- and nanoplastics leave the body through excretion, but the effect of the remaining one billion-plus plastic particles and chemicals per tea bag isn't clear." Ominously he then mentions: "We do know ingested plastic has devastating health effects on marine ani- mals." He offered this advice: 1. Brew loose tea in unbleached paper or metal tea bombs. 2. Buy teas from companies whose websites say they use only hemp and/or other biodegradable materials in their bags (there are many). 3. Not sure? Cold brew your tea bag (heat extracts more plastic particles), remove it, and then heat it up before drinking. Is switching to biodegradable plastics good advice? The industry will soon know. Dr. Oz was not alarmist. His advice is thoughtful but there is a hint of potential harm. Tests for food safety do not assess leachate under electron microscopes with resolutions millions of times greater than conventional mi- croscopes. Major manufacturers of tea bag materials contacted by STiR are currently performing tests like that done at McGill. It is possible that bioplastics also leach bil- lions of nanoparticles. Results of these tests will be promptly reported. See pg. 42 "Tiny Particles Cause Big Concerns" During the weeks following the McGill study, media globally amplified the find- ings in headlines that emphasized 'billions of fragments' and 'levels thousands of times higher than those reported previously in other foods and drinks' without adequately explaining how little actually accumulates (ie. the 16 micrograms of plastic micro- and nano particles per cup are equal to a small fraction of a single milligram of sugar.) Brands addressed concerns: either saying they never or no longer use nylon in their tea bags (having switched to PLA and other biodegradable and compostable bioplas- tics); or that food grade nylon and PET have been assessed by the Food and Drug Administration and found to be safe. In defense they point to the fact that the World Health Organization states that micro contaminants do not pose a known risk (while calling for more research). Emeric Harney, a tea retailer and grandson of the founder of Harney & Sons, set a good example in a signed online response two days after the news broke, acknowl- edging that the company's sachets are made of BPA-free food grade nylon. Full stop. He went on to say, "we have been testing non-GMO biodegradable sugarcane fiber sachet material for about a year now, and have recently started introducing it to some of our product lines." He suggested customers buy loose leaf or the company's organic tea in paper tea bags. Customers were supportive: "Thank you for proactively listing this information. I will cut open the sachets for now and transfer them to a reusable strainer and switch to loose leaf moving forward," wrote one customer. "Thanks for the transparency," wrote another. Harney's response is one important reason why tea retains its healthy halo. Retaining Tea's Healthy Halo