Pesticides and Tea

Tea is grown all over the world and one of the great pleasures of tea drinking is sampling teas from various countries and tea plantations. Unfortunately, not all countries have the same standards regarding pesticide use, and as a tea aficionado it can be difficult to know what you may be exposed to.

There is evidence of measurable pesticide residues in tea available to consumers in various countries,^[1,2,3] but an investigation by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) determined that the pesticide levels are within acceptable levels.^[4]

There are more and more organic teas available on the market, which is an option for those who want to eliminate pesticide residue from their diet as much as possible. Another consideration is the effects of pesticide application and environmental residues on tea plantation workers.^[5]

Finding information on this topic online takes time and energy. Most of the peer-reviewed studies on the subject are not publicly available (the hiding of information behind subscription paywalls is one of the issues we as a society must resolve before the Web will reach its full potential for improving the human condition, but I digress) and most of the articles I found with a quick Web search seem to be fairly biased. The issue is also highly politically charged, with national governments anxious to protect their citizens or their export industries, as the case may be.[6]

It's hard to come to firm conclusions on such a complex topic, but as with anything we consume, it's worth thinking about where it comes from, how it is produced, and what effects our consumption may have, not only for ourselves, but for those involved in production and for the environment.


[1] www.choice.com.au "Pesticides in tea"
[2] Z Lebensm Unters Forsch. 1986 Jun - Pesticide residues in black tea
[3] "Unsafe pesticide and lead levels: that's China to a tea", The Age, June 15 2002
[4] FSANZ "Pesticides in Tea"
[5] Occupational Environment and Skin Diseases in Pesticide Exposed Subjects in Some Tea Farms in Vietnam
[6] China Daily "Pesticide regulations impair tea industry"

Too much green tea can harm organs

Hindustan Times - Green tea will only help keep you healthy if it is taken in moderation, warn boffins. The drink is credited with keeping cancer and heart disease at bay, but too many cuppas a day could cause liver and kidney damage, say experts, who conducted a ...

Source: Too much green tea can harm organs
Originally published on Mon, 07 May 2007 11:43:00 GMT

Tea Consumption is on the Rise in the USA

According to this article in the Chicago Tribune, tea is becomine a more popular drink in the USA. I'm not surprised. It's great stuff. I am happy to see that more people are drinking and enjoying tea.