Takeaway Coffee Cups: Leaking Microplastics into Your Body, Study Reveals

• A study in the Journal of Hazardous Materials: Plastics reveals takeaway coffee cups leak thousands of microplastics into beverages.
• Heat significantly increases the release of microplastics from these cups, with hot liquids causing a 33% increase from all-plastic cups.
• Researchers tested 400 coffee cups from Brisbane cafes, finding that paper cups with plastic linings shed fewer microplastics than fully plastic cups.
• Consuming one 300-ml hot coffee daily from an all-plastic cup could lead to ingesting 363,000 microplastic particles annually.
• To reduce exposure, use reusable cups made of stainless steel, ceramic, or glass, and consider letting hot drinks cool slightly before pouring into disposable cups.

Why It Matters: Takeaway coffee cups, especially with hot drinks, leak microplastics; opt for reusable alternatives to reduce ingestion.