You may want to think twice about your beverage choice!
Your cup of tea could be filled with pesticides. Yes, one more thing to worry about.
The English ceremony of having afternoon tea dates back hundreds of years, to the 1650’s, when ships would carry tea, beautiful porcelain tea pots and cups from China and Japan to Europe. Since tea leaves were extremely expensive, it immediately became popular with the Royal Family and aristocracy. But hundreds of years ago, pesticides were not used to propagate the growth of tea.1
Sadly, now most conventionally grown tea is doused in pesticides while it is growing, to fend off any number of pests – such as insects, mold or weeds. Most tea is not washed before it is distributed into individual tea bags, and as you would suspect, the pesticides are waiting for you right there in that cup.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has been testing various tea brands for the last several years. Their findings are both shocking and scary – 1 in 4 teas had pesticides in them, at levels above what is allowed for human consumption.2
CBC’s Marketplace further investigated, and found that, for example, Uncle Lee’s Legends of China Green Tea had an incredible 22 pesticides in it, with 6 over the allowable limit.3
You can find the full Marketplace Tea Test Results here: http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/blog/full-tea-test-results
The FoodBabe also reports that “A recent third-party analysis by Glaucus Research and discussed here found that 91 percent of Celestial Seasonings tea tested had pesticide residues exceeding the U.S. limits. For example, Sleepytime Kids Goodnight Grape Herbal contained 0.26 ppm of propachlor, which is a known carcinogen under California’s Propsition 65.”4
This is troubling news to those of us who enjoy one or even several cups of tea throughout the day. Since it is such a perfect snack time choice at the office, to just enjoy a few minutes with your favourite tea, and step away from the stress piling up on your desk, there must be a solution.
Here is a list of bagged tea that is safe, put together by David Wolfe:2
• Red Rose
• Numi Tea
• Rishi Tea
• EDEN Organic
• Organic Stash
• Choice Organic Teas
• Two Leaves
• Organic Tazo
• Organic Traditional Medicinals
Additionally, check the package on some of the flavoured or more fancy teas, it’s important to also avoid added flavourings and GMO’s. Always buy organic and non-GMO, and if you can, try white tea. It is actually made from younger leaves, so they have less time to be exposed to pesticides before they are harvested for processing.
If you can buy organic loose leaf tea, and use a glass or stainless steel infuser, you are also avoiding the potential exposure to chemicals in the tea bags. (I know, what next?!)
“According to Dr. Mercola, many “paper tea bags are treated with epichlorohydrin, a compound mainly used in the production of epoxy resins. Considered a potential carcinogen by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health2 (NIOSH), epichlorohydrin is also used as a pesticide. When epichlorohydrin comes in contact with water, it hydrolyzes to 3-MCPD, which has been shown to cause cancer in animals. It has also been implicated in infertility (it has a spermatoxic effect in male rats) and suppressed immune function.”4
Check out this amazing chart from The FoodBabe, to cross reference the safety of your tea.
Definitely continue to have mini-vacations at work with a cup of tea, but be sure to choose your tea from the safe list!
With Sources From:
1 – http://www.teamuse.com/article_001203.html
2 – https://www.davidwolfe.com/tea-contain-harmful-chemicals/
3 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCk8eFiaE98
4 – http://foodbabe.com/2013/08/21/do-you-know-whats-really-in-your-tea/
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Jo-Anne Richardson, Registered Holistic Nutritionist & Energy Medicine Practitioner
Jo-Anne works with Fournier disAbility & Health Management Solutions to provide online education for clients and patients. Her interest in healthy, joyful living is demonstrated in her writing, coaching and teaching. Her goal is to improve the health of her community by empowering you with knowledge, support and new ideas.
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