The Cup of Coffee You Drink Every Morning May Contain Thousands of Microplastics: Studies

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For many Americans, a morning coffee is as habitual as brushing their teeth. You know the routine: Leave the house at 8 a.m., pick up your favorite caffeinated beverage at the coffee shop at 8:15, and get to work by 8:30.

Coffee and tea help us get through the Monday-through-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.

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Though one might not think a paper cup would contain plastic, almost all paper dishware uses 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 slurry.

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.

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 about 160 degrees, and brewed coffee is served at 190 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

After a year of drinking just one cup of coffee or tea from a paper cup daily, the total number of microplastic particles consumed would be more than 32 million.

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Researchers in another study 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 effect of microplastics on the health of ocean ecosystems has rightfully seen widespread media coverage, but the immediate threat microplastics pose to human health, particularly hormone and reproductive health, remains dangerously underacknowledged.

Hormones and Microplastics

Balanced hormone levels are required for reproduction. This balance is becoming increasingly lost as countless chemicals interfere with 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.”

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“Either way, it triggers abnormal processes and wreaks havoc on the way the endocrine system works, with worrying consequences,” she said.

Numerous studies have shown that microplastics alter testosterone and estrogen in men and women.

In a study reviewing the research on microplastics and their threat to male reproduction published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in 2021, the authors warn that the “possible reproductive health risks of microplastics should not be ignored.”

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.

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Mirpuri said she believes that the ubiquity 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.

Disappointed but Not Surprised

Although the results of paper coffee cups leaching microplastics are shocking to many, Dr. Susanne Brander, a researcher who specializes in microplastics, wasn’t surprised by the studies’ outcomes.

“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,” she told The Epoch Times.

Brander said there is still much to learn 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 1,000 studies that show that microplastics are disrupting aquatic life, and a PubMed search reveals more than 1,400 papers discussing microplastics’ influence on human health, but data are still limited.

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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 causal relationship between these diseases and microplastics.

This, she said, 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.

Anecdotal Evidence Is Mounting

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 told The Epoch Times. The patient was an exemplar of healthy living but had a lethargic libido and wanted to start testosterone replacement therapy.

The patient’s lab results indicated his testosterone markers weren’t significantly 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.

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Knowing that numerous chemicals mimic biological estrogen, Angove assessed whether this patient had chronic exposure to such chemicals and 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 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.

With no other lifestyle or pharmaceutical interventions, within three months, the patient’s estradiol fell to 29 pg/ml and his total testosterone rose from 471 to 668 ng/dl. Angove said that the patient’s symptoms were relieved and he “felt better than ever.”

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And such cases are becoming more frequent, Angove said.

“Across my practice, I’m witnessing an increase in reproductive issues in both men and women.

“It’s quite evident that microplastics and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals are facilitating these issues.”

Angove’s experience aligns with recent evidence showing that male sperm counts have declined 50 percent in the past 50 years. This shocking drop parallels the timeline of plastic’s sudden prevalence in our lives, though some researchers say the prolific use of another endocrine disruptor, the herbicide glyphosate, is also a factor.

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In 1950, worldwide plastic production reached at least 2 million tons. In 2021, plastic production soared to more than 390 million tons.

Angove said there are other factors that contribute to the fertility crisis.

“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 ... outdoors,” he said.

Reduce Microplastic Exposure

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 improve your health and fertility.