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Single-cup machines often have external water tanks made of plastic. “That can be a source of microplastics, too,” Abdallah says. The water itself may contain microplastics even before it goes through the machine. However, the coffee coming out the other end has almost two-thirds more of these contaminants, Abdallah found. And then there’s milk, if you’re adding it. “Milk can travel through hundreds of feet of plastic tubing during its production phase,” Boucher says, potentially resulting in more microplastics. Coffee may contain yet more microplastics if you drink it from disposable paper cups; some are lined with plastic. When possible, choose glass instead, Abdallah says. The Food Packaging Forum keeps a research database on plastics contaminating food, including paper cups. These other sources of microplastics, associated with long-term use of coffee pods, may add up to increase health risks. Researchers think people can reduce risk by using stainless steel pods. Woodruff went a step further: she bought a stainless-steel machine.
