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Although tea is generally considered a healthier source of caffeine than coffee, soft drinks or energy drinks, it has been shown that common tea brands contain high levels of toxic substances.
These toxic substances are fluoride and pesticides, artificial ingredients, added flavoring and GMO (modified corn starch and soy lecithin).
The levels of toxic substances found in these products are so high that they are considered dangerous from a consumption standpoint.
As with most products, it is not true that all teas are prepared the same. Most teas are not washed before drying, so non-organic teas contain pesticide residues.
Some tea brands (even those marketed as organic or pesticide-free) have recently been found to contain pesticides that are known carcinogens, in amounts that exceed limits allowed in the USA and the EU.
Tea plants absorb pesticides and heavy metals like sponges.
Research has revealed facts about contaminants contained in common tea brands, and even in the tea bags themselves.
Analytical reports on tea products from India and China point to high levels of unauthorized pesticides in tea products. They note that in countries that are the largest tea exporters, there is an absence of mechanisms to force producers not to use pesticides.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regularly finds high levels of residues of illegal chemicals in imported tea.
These substances include:
- permethrin (a synthetic pyrethroid associated with cancer and endocrine system damage)
- DDE (a metabolite of DDT, banned in the USA since 1972)
- heptachlor epoxide (a derivative of the pesticide heptachlor, which was banned in the USA for agricultural use as a termiticide, which is carcinogenic and
- non-biodegradable in the environment)
- acetamiprid (a neonicotinoid toxic to bees).
These findings in common tea increase people’s exposure to a dangerous mixture of pesticides.
The question is whether the negatives or positives prevail when drinking tea? Some teas are overloaded with carcinogenic pesticides, GMOs and flavors labeled as natural.
These flavors are additives. For example, one such additive is castoreum (a substance secreted from a beaver’s glands located near its anus, and most raspberry-flavored foods are actually made from these secretions).
Another additive is carmine – natural Red No. 4 (made from dried and ground Cochineal beetles, arthropods; it gives teas and foods a red color).
Many common tea brands market their products as health-promoting, but do nothing to check the toxins found in their tea products.
Are your tea bags toxic?
Mesh tea bags
Mesh bags are a complete fashion fad. But did you know these toxic tea bags are made of plastic and can leach toxic chemicals when exposed to high temperatures?
And paper bags present a different risk, because many of them are coated with a carcinogenic mixture! This is what you need to know about each of these bags.
Plastic tea bags
Plastic bags are made from various types of plastics – synthetic silk, PVC, thermoplastic, polypropylene, but the most luxurious are made from food-grade nylon or polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
Nylon and PET are considered two of the safest plastics. They have extremely high melting temperatures; that means a lower probability that plastic chemicals would leach into your tea.
Although both have very high melting temperatures, there is another temperature point for plastics that must be considered: it is called the glass transition temperature (Tg).
It is the temperature at which the molecules of materials begin to break down. A material’s Tg is typically lower than its melting point. The Tg of PET is about 76 ° C and the Tg of nylon is 46.6 ° C.
Since water boils at 100 ° C, this is a huge problem. It is an exceedance of the Tg of PET and nylon.
So although these plastics are generally considered the safest in terms of leaching potential, when submerged into boiling water their molecules can actually break down and leach.
Unfortunately, neither the Center for Health, Environment & Justice nor the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have any information on the toxicity of plastic bags used for dosing tea, nor on the levels of plastic chemicals that could transfer into the tea when you immerse them in hot water.
Paper tea bags
Paper tea bags pose a completely different risk. They may be much worse than the plastic ones. Many paper bags are treated with a chemical compound called epichlorohydrin.
It is used in the production of epoxy resins and acts as a pesticide! Epichlorohydrin is an artificial substance that prevents tea bags from becoming brittle.
The problem is that epichlorohydrin can dissolve in water and thus become part of the beverage. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), long-term consumption of drinking water with high levels of epichlorohydrin can cause stomach problems and an increased risk of cancer.
The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) designates epichlorohydrin as a potential carcinogen. It has been found to cause cancer in animals, impair fertility and weaken the immune system.
However, tea bags cannot be considered the sole culprit! Coffee maker filters, sausage casings and water filters are also treated with epichlorohydrin – a chemical compound used mainly in the production of epoxy resins, but also as a pesticide.
Avoid these 19 tea brands at all costs:
1. Lipton (Pure Green Tea)
2. Yellow Label Black Tea
3. Tetley
4. Twinings
5. Red Rose
6. No Name
7. Uncle Lee ‘s Legends of China. (Green Tea and Jasmine Green Tea)
8. King Cole
9. Signal
10. Allegro
11. Celestial Seasonings
12. Tazo
13. Teavana
14. Bigelow
15. The Republic of Tea
16. Yogi
17. Tea Forte
18. Mighty Leaf
19. Trader Joe ‘s
