Research Article

The Benefits and Risks of Consuming Brewed Tea: Beware of Toxic Element Contamination

Table 4

Toxicant (heavy metal) levels according to country of origin.

Tea type Tea country of originHigh levelsModerate levelsLow levels

Green tea organicChinaPb, AlAsCd
Green tea organicSri LankaLow in Pb, Cd, Al, As
Green tea organicJapanAs, Pb, Cd, Al
Green tea standardChinaHigh in Al Pb, AsLow in Cd
White teaIndia Lowest in Al, Pb, Cd, As
White tea ChinaPb, Al, AsLow in Cd
Oolong tea organicChinaHighest in As, high in Pb, AlLow in Cd
Oolong tea standardChinaHighest in PbAl, Cd, As
Black tea organicBlend India
Sri Lanka
AlPbLow in Cd, As
Black tea standardIndia
Sri Lanka
AlLowest Pb, low in Cd, As

Pb: lead, Cd: cadmium, Al: aluminum, As: arsenic.