I know why you are reading this article.
Actually, you are little worried about what type of coffee mug or coffee cup to choose for your daily coffee consumption.
Can you really put hot coffee in a plastic cup and drink it on a regular basis?
If you ask my opinion about this, then my answer would be completely “No”.
You should not drink hot coffee using a regular plastic coffee cups or paper coffee cups.
Because plastic cups can be a hazard to your health and to the environment too.
There are several types of harmful additives and chemical present in these types of plastic coffee cups.
The presence of harmful substances such as BPA, Styrene and Formaldehyde, etc. make these plastic cups really dangerous for your body.
Regular coffee drinking using such cups can lead to several health issues such as leukaemia, cancer, etc.
Instead, I highly recommend you to use only reusable coffee cups with a lid as a substitute for your plastic cup.
Why is it so? And what are the side effects of using plastic cups for your coffee consumption?
I recommend to read this article entirely to get all your answers.
Table of Contents
- Can I Put Coffee in My Plastic Coffee Cup?
- Can I Store Hot Coffee in a Plastic Water Bottle?
- Can You Microwave Coffee in a Plastic Cup?
- Is It Healthy to Drink Coffee from Plastic Cups?
- What is the Best Alternative to Plastic Coffee Cups?
- Final Thoughts
Can I Put Coffee in My Plastic Coffee Cup?
You can have your coffee in plastic cups but you should switch it with the other better and eco-friendly options.
The use of plastic is dangerous for your health and it can even change the taste of your coffee.
Plastic is also be considered to be a slow poison.
Some of the most important disadvantages of using plastic coffee cups are provided as follows.
1. Migration in Plastic Coffee Cups
The substances added in plastic cups to improve their properties and performance are called as “additives.”
When hot coffee is poured into plastic cups the additives migrate into the beverage and cause coffee contamination.
Regular drinking coffee through plastic cups can cause various health ailments such as cancer or hormonal imbalances.
I was reading about this important research about harmful additives in the plastic material.
This research has already proved the presence of BPA and PVC in plastic.
These additives are added to cut down the price of plastic.
More the additives, more harmful is the plastic and vice versa.
2. 3 Harmful Additives in Plastic Cups
There can be several different types of additives in the plastic cups.
But there are 3 main harmful substances which are added in the plastic cups to make them durable and cost efficient.
1. BPA:
Excessive and prolonged exposure of BPA can affect pregnancy, sperm production, and can even cause prostate cancer for humans.
It can also greatly affect your immunity, and increases your aggression.
2. Styrene:
The migration of styrene depends on the temperature of your coffee.
The hotter is your coffee; the greater are the chances of leaching.
It is also responsible to decrease the level of hemoglobin and cause lymphatic abnormalities, etc.
At the same time, styrene can increase the risk of pancreatic and esophageal cancer.
3. Formaldehyde:
A research paper from Researchgate.net has explained the risks associated with the use of plastic coffee cups.
Plastic coffee cups do contain this formaldehyde substance which could be released in your coffee when exposed to the higher temperature.
An article from Cancer.org has mentioned that formaldehyde causes leukemia and nasal cancer.
So, these are just few of the disadvantages of drinking coffee through plastic cups.
By now, you can guess how harmful plastic coffee cups are.
Plastic cups can never be completely recycled and are usually thrown in the drinking water bodies.
They are the root cause for the death of thousands of aquatic animals each year due to choking.
Recommended Articles for You:
Should You Use Microwave Dixie Coffee Cups?
Know if You Should Use McDonald’s Coffee Cups
Should You Drink Hot Coffee in a Solo Plastic Cup?
Can I Store Hot Coffee in a Plastic Water Bottle?
“Yes,” you can store your coffee in a plastic water bottle.
But I highly recommend you not to do so.
There are other better options you can use.
An ordinary plastic bottle cannot retain heat and will cool down your coffee right away.
Plastic also absorbs the odor, so your coffee won’t smell and taste as delicious as the one that is freshly brewed.
However, I highly suggest you to use a Hydro Flask Stainless Steel Bottle for storing your coffee.
The insulation of this bottle helps you to keep your coffee warm for about 6-12 hours.
It is a leakage proof bottle without any leaching into your coffee.
You can use it to store any type of drink like coffee, tea, latte, mocha, or espresso for several hours.
If you want to know how to store coffee properly in Hydro Flask Water Bottles, then click here to check out our article.
Can You Microwave Coffee in a Plastic Cup?
Plastic cups are available in a wide variety.
Whether they can be microwaved or not, depends on their quality.
If your plastic cup has a label on it reading “melamine” then you should not microwave it at any cost.
It will result in migration, the phenomenon I mentioned earlier.
Plastic items can also melt in the microwave when exposed higher temperature levels.
Therefore, you should not microwave plastic cups that are not microwave safe.
The plastic cups used for coffee at coffee shops are not microwavable at all.
It is made of a cheap polymer material.
They can melt and cause a blast, releasing toxic fumes inside your microwave machine.
If your cup reads at the bottom that it is microwave safe then only you are allowed to microwave it.
Don’t microwave your coffee with its lid on.
The best way is to transfer your coffee to a microwave-safe coffee cups.
Is It Healthy to Drink Coffee from Plastic Cups?
Few days back, I came across this research article where Prof. Sudha Goel has expressed her concerns about accumulation of microplastics in humans and animals.
This research states that if you consume your tea or coffee in a paper cup thrice a day, then you automatically ingest 75,000 microplastic particles in your body.
The use of paper cups has immensely increased due to busy lifestyles and takeaway services.
She says that contaminants like ions, heavy metals, and organic compounds are present in the microplastic particles.
They can cause serious health issues if used extensively over a period.
Here is a list of quite a few health complications that could arise due to extensive usage of plastic coffee cups.
1. Hormone Imbalance:
BPA is one substance that is responsible to affect reproductive hormones in human body.
It can imitates the effects of natural oestrogen which can lead to imbalance in human hormonal system.
2. Pregnancy Complications:
BPA also causes chromosomal aberration in pregnant woman.
This can result in miscarriage of the foetus.
3. Cancerous Effects:
Vinyl chloride, a polymer used in the preparation of cheap plastic has carcinogenic effects.
Contaminants present in such a plastic can also cause breast cancer.
Some other diseases include diabetes, respiratory diseases, and mammary gland stimulation.
To eliminate these harmful chemicals from your system you have to first stop using plastic coffee cups.
After that, you can improve your health through proper exercise routine, by increasing daily water intake and by performing deep breathing exercises.
What is the Best Alternative to Plastic Coffee Cups?
The best alternative for plastic coffee cups is using cups made from bamboo.
They can be used for all types of beverages, hot or cold.
Bamboo coffee cups are free from any heavy metals and toxic chemicals like BPA and phthalates.
They are heavier than ordinary plastic cups but lighter than ceramic coffee mugs.
They can be used in dishwashers but not in microwave machine.
The advantage of using bamboo is that when it comes in contact with bacteria, bamboo neutralizes it.
Thus, it’s best to use for drinking hot coffee.
Even, if this option doesn’t suit you, then you can substitute your plastic cup with either ceramic coffee mug or glass coffee mug.
Final Thoughts
There is no doubt that plastic coffee cup is not healthy for us.
It is also bad for our environment.
Try your best to stop using it and play your part in eliminating it from your environment.
Keep your reusable coffee mugs with you to get the coffee on the go.
Keep yourself and your environment safe.
References:
https://thrivecuisine.com/kitchen-appliances/can-you-microwave-plastic-cups/
https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/get-involved/what-you-can-do/takeaway-coffee-cups/
https://microwavemealprep.com/can-you-microwave-a-starbucks-plastic-cup/
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/coffee-cups-reuseable-plastic-taste
https://www.omilights.com/why-we-should-not-drink-tea-or-coffee-in-plastic-cup/
https://purplecarrotnutrition.co.uk/womens-health/is-bpa-messing-up-your-hormones/