The research specifically deals with cellulose bags which are often sealed with glues containing synthetic polymers. The picture from the study of the cellulos

The research specifically deals with cellulose bags which are often sealed with glues containing synthetic polymers. The picture from the study of the cellulose bags show a round “pillow” style bag which is likely sealed with a glue, unlike some cellulose bags which are folded and stapled: https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0045653524026377-gr1_lrg.jpg https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S00456535240263... From the article that summarized the study: > The tea bags used for the research were made from the polymers nylon-6, polypropylene and cellulose. The study shows that, when brewing tea, polypropylene releases approximately 1.2 billion particles per milliliter, with an average size of 136.7 nanometers; cellulose releases about 135 million particles per milliliter, with an average size of 244 nanometers; while nylon-6 releases 8.18 million particles per milliliter, with an average size of 138.4 nanometers. So while polypropylene is the worst of the three by an order of magnitude, the cellulose pillow-style bag still leaches a large number of particles. Here’s the study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653524026377 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004565352... Notably, the authors tested OEM empty teabags for polypropylene and nylon, but chose a supermarket brand of cellulose pillow-style bags with tea still inside.