Daily Cup of Tea May Help Filter Heavy Metals From Water, Study Finds

Scientists have found that heavy metal particles adhere to the surface of tea leaves.

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Tea lovers may have another reason to savor their favorite brew. New research from Northwestern University suggests that brewing tea can help remove harmful heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, potentially acting as a natural water filter.

“Contamination from lead, as well as other metals, in drinking water is a serious challenge around the world. Lead toxicity across all sources is estimated to directly contribute around one percent of the total global health burden of disease,” Benjamin Shindel, the study’s first author, told The Epoch Times.

Tea May Passively Reduce Heavy Metal Exposure

In the study, published on Feb. 24 in the journal ACS Food Science & Technology, scientists discovered that heavy metal particles stick to the surface of tea leaves, a process known as adsorption, remaining trapped there until the used tea bag is discarded. The tea leaves and tea bags adsorb the heavy metals in hot water.