Tea leaves pull heavy metals from water, significantly lowering the amount of lead and other dangerous compounds that people may be unknowingly drinking, a new study found.
Recent research has highlighted potential applications for used tea leaves, from biofuels to gluten-free cookies. But the new study shows a public health benefit from something that countless people are already doing. About five billion cups of tea are consumed each day around the world, according to one estimate.
“You can see the implications,” said Vinayak Dravid, a materials scientist at Northwestern and an author of the study, which was published this week. “How often do we touch billions of people?”
In many countries, the water used to steep tea is contaminated with lead from aging pipes. In the United States, nine million homes get their water through pipes that contain lead, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Lead is especially dangerous to children. Exposure can lead to developmental delays and behavioral issues.
Dr. Dravid and his team tested how different types of tea — black, white,66jogo oolong, green, rooibos, herbal, loose leaf and plain old Lipton — behaved in water with varying amounts of lead.
The tea was then allowed to steep for variable periods of time. Afterward, the scientists measured how much lead remained in the water.
We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
777winThank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Mr. Trump would be 82 on Election Day in 2028, older than President Biden is now. This year’s election is already his third consecutive time being the Republican nominee, after he won in 2016 and lost in 2020. In the modern party system, only Franklin Delano Roosevelt has ever received a major party’s nomination four times, though a handful have matched Mr. Trump with three.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.rainha666