Can disposable plastic-lined cups leach chemicals into drinks?

What's actually in it

Disposable beverage cups can use paper, polyethylene, polystyrene, inks, coatings, and other food-contact materials.

Those materials can contain chemical residues or additives. Hot drinks matter because heat can make food-contact materials release more chemicals into what you drink.

What the research says

A 2026 study in J Environ Sci Health B tested 40 polyethylene- and polystyrene-based beverage cup samples from Turkey.

The study found DEHP up to 0.95 mg/kg, BPA at 0.01 to 0.02 mg/kg, several photoinitiators linked with printing inks and coatings, and PFOA in 2 samples.

This study was about beverage cups, not every cling wrap or plastic bag. The practical step is still clear: use glass or stainless steel cups at home, avoid very hot drinks in disposable plastic-lined cups when you can, and do not reheat drinks in disposable packaging.