“Increasing concern is evident about contamination of foodstuffs…..”
“Common off-the-shelf varieties of black, green, white, and oolong teas sold in tea bags were used for analysis in this study. Toxic element testing was performed on 30 different teas…..”
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“All brewed teas contained lead with 73% of teas brewed for 3 minutes and 83% brewed for 15 minutes having lead levels considered unsafe for consumption during pregnancy and lactation. Aluminum levels were above recommended guidelines in 20% of brewed teas.”
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“No mercury was found at detectable levels in any brewed tea samples.”
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“….manganese levels were found to be excessive in some black teas.”
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“Toxic contamination by heavy metals was found in most of the teas sampled. Some tea samples are considered unsafe.”
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“There are no existing guidelines for routine testing or reporting of toxicant levels in “naturally” occurring products. Public health warnings or industry regulation might be indicated to protect consumer safety.”
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G.Schwalfenberg, S.J. Genuis, I.Rodushkin
The Benefits and Risks of Consuming Brewed Tea: Beware of Toxic Element Contamination
Journal Of Toxicology — October 23, 2013