Learn more about the adsorption benefits of brewing tea, which removes lead from the water we drink.
With their wrinkled surfaces, black tea leaves, shown above at 300 times magnification, provide ample space for the adsorption of lead. (Credit: Vinayak P. David Group/Northwestern University) Want a flavorful beverage with a lot less lead? Try tea. According to a team of researchers from Northwestern University, tea leaves and bags adsorb lead, trapping lead ions on their surfaces and filtering them from drinking water during the process of tea brewing. "For this study, our goal was to measure tea's ability to adsorb heavy metals," said Vinayak Dravid, a member of the research team and a Northwestern professor, according to a press release. "By quantifying this effect, our work highlights the unrecognized potential for tea consumption to passively contribute to reduced heavy metal exposure in populations worldwide." Limiting Exposure to Lead Long-term exposure to lead and other heavy metals is tied to a variety of symptoms, including headaches, insomnia, and irritability, as well as to issues like heart disease and stroke. Though there are many ways to encounter these heavy metals, one is by drinking contaminated water. Looking for methods to limit our exposure to these contaminants, the Northwestern team turned to tea, testing the adsorption of different types, including black, green, and oolong teas, among others. These teas "have a high active surface area," said Benjamin Shindel, another member of the research team and a Northwestern graduate student at the time of the research, according to the release, "which is a useful property for an adsorbent material." The researchers revealed that black teas adsorbed more heavy metals than non-black teas. They also found that ground leaves were best at removing contaminants. "When tea leaves are…