New Delhi: In the bustling streets of India’s cities, where office workers flock to roadside chai stalls for a quick sip of comfort, a hidden peril lurks in those flimsy plastic cups.
What seems like an innocent daily ritual could be brewing a storm of health hazards, from hormonal chaos to life-threatening cancers, warn health experts.
When steaming hot tea — often exceeding 60°C— is poured into low-quality plastic or polythene containers, toxic chemicals like phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), and styrene seep into the brew. These act as endocrine disruptors, interfering with vital hormones such as oestrogen, testosterone, insulin, and thyroid. The fallout? Hormonal imbalances leading to infertility, unexplained weight gain, chronic fatigue, sleep woes, insulin resistance, and even type 2 diabetes.
But the dangers don’t stop there. Prolonged exposure heightens the risk of breast, prostate, and thyroid cancers through oxidative stress and DNA damage, as evidenced by lab and animal studies. Recent research reveals that a single cup of hot beverage in disposable plastic might unleash thousands of microplastic particles, which accumulate in the body — potentially up to grams over time, according to scientists at IIT Kharagpur. Alarmingly, international studies have detected these fragments in human brain tissue.
Dr Mohit Sharma, a specialist in internal medicine and endocrinology at Amrita Hospital, cautions, “Temperatures above 60°C cause harmful elements to dissolve into the drink, disrupting the hormonal system. Even consuming tea 2-4 times daily from such cups can lead to significant accumulation and effects.”
While India allows food-grade plastics under safety norms, the rampant use of cheap, recycled variants exacerbates the threat. Experts urge switching to safer options like glass, steel, ceramic, or traditional kulhad (clay cups) to sip worry-free.
This wake-up call underscores the need for awareness — your next chai break could be a choice between habit and health.