For many Americans, grabbing a latte or a hot tea from a coffee shop is as habitual as brushing their teeth. You know the routine: Leave the house at 8:00 a.m., pick up your Starbucks drink at 8:15, and get to work by 8:30.
Coffee and tea help us get through the Monday–Friday grind.
But according to recent research, when we drink hot coffee or tea from disposable paper cups, we’re ingesting thousands of health-damaging microplastics.
Though one might not think a paper cup would contain plastic, almost all paper dishware utilizes microplastics as a sealant.
Two separate studies showed that when hot liquid is poured into paper cups, microplastics leach from the coating into the hot liquid, thereby turning a cup of coffee or tea into a microplastic elixir.
In one study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, researchers discovered that consuming hot liquid from a standard 12-ounce paper cup results in the ingestion of roughly 88,000 microplastic particles, if not more.
After a year of drinking just one cup of coffee or tea from a paper cup daily, the total amount of microplastic particles consumed would be over 32 million.
When heated to between 185 and 194 degrees Fahrenheit, paper cups were shown to release thousands of microplastics into the liquid. For reference, most lattes are served at around 160 degrees while brewed coffee is served at 190 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Researchers in another study also discovered that paper cups “do not appear to release fewer microplastic particles than plastic cups.”
As they concluded in the study published in Science of the Total Environment, “microplastic debris released from the cups as a type of exposure source to humans should be cause for grave concern.”
The impact of microplastics on the health of ocean ecosystems has rightfully seen widespread media coverage. Biodegradable straws and saving sea turtles have become a widespread environmental cliché. What is untold, however, is the immediate threat microplastics pose to human health, particularly hormone and reproductive health.
Having balanced hormone levels is requisite for reproduction in both men and women. This balancing act is nonetheless becoming increasingly challenging given that countless chemicals interfere with the body’s natural hormone production—microplastics being a top offender.
“The chemicals found in plastics are ones that can mimic the shape of a hormone,” Dr. Ivone Mirpuri, a clinician specializing in pathology and endocrinology, told The Epoch Times. They travel to the receptor on our cells instead of real hormones, which either “enhances the effect of a hormone, or blocks it.”
She said, “Either way, it triggers abnormal processes and wreaks havoc on the way the endocrine system works, with worrying consequences.”
Numerous studies have shown that microplastics alter testosterone and estrogen in men and women.
In one study on mice, chronic exposure to polystyrene, a microplastic used in numerous household products, reduced testosterone levels and stimulated abnormal spermatogenesis in male mice. In another study reviewing the research on microplastics and their threat to male reproduction, the authors warn that the “possible reproductive health risks of microplastics should not be ignored.”
Mirpuri believes the ubiquitousness of microplastics is contributing to the startling rise of infertility. “Because many endocrine-disrupting chemicals like microplastics act similarly to estrogen, we see lots of problems in the reproductive system,” she said.
While the results of paper coffee cups leaching microplastics are shocking to many, Dr. Susanne Brander, a researcher who specializes in microplastics, was not surprised by the studies’ outcomes. In an interview with The Epoch Times, she pointed out, “Many people—including very well-educated scientists—do not realize that most paper products contain different kinds of plastics that end up in the food we eat and liquids we drink.”
Brander expressed that there is still much to know regarding microplastics and their potential role in the progression of various diseases. “We, unfortunately, do not know how much microplastics might be harming our health,” she said.
There are nearly a thousand studies that show microplastics are disrupting aquatic life. But the data are limited when it comes to microplastics’ influence on human health.
There are reports that microplastics alter the gut microbiome, can promote cardiovascular disease, and may play a role in neurodegenerative diseases. But as Brander explained, there isn’t sufficient evidence to show a causative relationship between these diseases and microplastics.
This, she says, gives the plastic industry leeway to keep producing millions of tons of plastic each year with little opposition. “It’s an innocent-until-proven-guilty kind of situation,” she said.
Though the academic research isn’t yet extensive, some doctors have seen the effects of microplastic toxicity in their practice.
Dr. Matt Angove, a naturopathic health care provider, had a male patient who was “extraordinarily fit and ate healthier than 99 percent of the population,” Angove said in an interview with The Epoch Times. The patient was an exemplar of healthy living. However, the male patient had lethargic libido and wanted to start testosterone replacement therapy.
As the patient’s lab results indicated, his testosterone markers were not concerningly low, though they weren’t optimal. What was striking was the male patient’s estrogen levels. Estradiol, the primary form of estrogen, should be around 25 to 35 pg/ml in healthy men. This patient’s estradiol was at 99 pg/ml.
Knowing that numerous chemicals mimic biological estrogen, Angove assessed whether this patient had chronic exposure to such chemicals. Upon evaluation of his lifestyle, Angove realized that the patient’s life was flooded with microplastic exposure.
“Every day, this patient drank six plastic bottles of water, ate his lunch out of plastic Tupperware, and consumed multiple cups of coffee from plastic-coated paper cups,” Angove said.
Angove speculated that the patient’s microplastic exposure was elevating his estrogen. He, therefore, advised the patient to minimize his microplastic exposure through a few simple changes.“The patient switched to a stainless steel water bottle and coffee thermos, and replaced his plastic Tupperware with glassware,” Angove said.
The patient made these simple changes with no other lifestyle or pharmaceutical interventions. Within three months, the patient’s estradiol fell from 99 down to 29 pg/ml while his total testosterone raised from 471 to 668 ng/dl. Along with the objective lab results, Angove said that the patient’s symptoms were relieved and the patient “felt better than ever.”
Angove expressed that cases like this are becoming more frequent. “Across my practice, I’m witnessing an increase in reproductive issues in both men and women,” Angove noted. “It’s quite evident that microplastics and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals are facilitating these issues.”
Dr. Angove’s practice experience corresponds with recent evidence showing that male sperm count has declined 50 percent in the past 50 years. This concerning report happens to parallel the timeline of plastic’s sudden prevalence in our lives.
In 1950, worldwide plastic production reached at least two million tons. In 2021, plastic production soared to over 390 million tons.
But as noted by Angove, microplastics aren’t solely to blame for the fertility crisis that faces humanity. “It’s a multifaceted issue that includes toxins like microplastics, but also our lifestyle choices like eating processed foods and spending more time on screens instead of the outdoors,” he said.
From the air we breathe to the water we drink, it has become an impossible feat to avoid microplastics altogether. Even so, we can reduce our microplastic exposure by thousands—if not millions—of particles if we choose to forgo paper cups.
Instead of drinking your favorite tea or coffee from a disposable cup, consider using a stainless steel thermos or a ceramic mug. This simple switch might be the catalyst that restores your health and fertility.
If you use a paper cup, at least don’t pour in hot coffee. Angove stresses the importance of never mixing it with heat; this can help reduce the release of microplastics.