Do Bleached Teabags Represent a Health Risk?

Recently there was a lot of buzz in news about how dangerous bleached teabags may be. The fact is that during chlorine-bleaching some toxic substances, like dioxin, may be created. So, let’s find out if small amount of dioxin in chlorine-bleached teabags may actually be dangerous.

Picture 1. Teabags

What are Teabags Made From?

First teabags were made from silk and muslin. Nowadays teabags are mostly made from paper, produced from a blend of wood and vegetable (hemp) fibers. Both wood and vegetable pulp are usually chlorine-bleached, meaning that small amount of toxic chlorine compounds may end up in teabag paper.

To avoid chlorine toxicity, today some tea sellers use only teabags from non-chlorine (oxygen) bleached teabag paper, completely non-bleached paper, or teabags from synthetic fibers (1). 

Paper Production and Bleaching

Wood consists of about 50% cellulose fibers, 30% lignin fibers, and 20% of other easily extracted substances (2). Lignin gives wood its strength and color. In order to get white paper (almost 100% cellulose), lignin and other substances have to be removed. Pulp cooking removes the most lignin from the pulp, and remaining lignin can be removed by bleaching.
continue reading Bleach in Teabags - Health Risks

A new report says that getting ICU patients out of bed and moving them as soon as they are able can prove the best medicine for them.

The researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine based their study on a review of ICU patient data and concluded that the daily use of sedation and long bed rest may lead to physical impairment and poor quality of life after discharge from hospital.

Dr. Dale Needham, who is an assistant professor in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, said: “ One can better understand the benefits of getting ICU patients out of bed and moving them if one knows about the battlefield injured of world War II.”
continue reading ‘Early Mobility’ the best medicine for ICU patients