Health concerns of tea and IngenuiTEA

[mcmoogly]

I've been using mine for about 2 weeks and I was just curious about a few things... First off I work at a health food store so I'm one of those health nuts who eats all organic, has shower/sink filters - the works. I haven't gotten a real teapot yet as I'm sampling lots of teas right now. Does anyone have a concern of using plastic to infuse teas? For those who wonder why I ask this, plastic leaches chemicals that can cause hormone changes in the body also studies have linked it to causing cancers. Just a thought, but it should made of glass/or at least polycarbonate? It would cost more but at least you have the "green" marketing behind the product which is pretty hot right now.

Second question. Is there a good way to wash it? I normally take out the infuser bottom, put in a little "natural dish soap" and then run boiling water through it a couple times. Seems like it's doing an OK job. Just curious.

While I'm on the topic, has anyone know the low-down on the tea Adagio/or any other company. Adagio's website says (I'm paraphrasing) they don't think that organic and/or fair-trade is always the best quality so they choose not to tap into this market just yet. Does anyone hear worry about pesticides/herbaside/fungicides being sprayed on the crop? Does anyone know if the standards are pretty harsh in the tea market as for quality. If some of these companies are blowing smoke or really are watching for quality and care of their workers and crop?

I think I drank too much tea! This is a long thread!

[michael]

Good news on both fronts: the ingenuiTEA teapot is made of polycarbonate, so its proclivity to leach plastic is minimal. On the question of pesticides, the main concern is their adverse effect on the environment, not personal consumption. Harmful pesticides have been banned long time ago. Those in use today have not been shown to pose a health risk.

[mcmoogly]

I didn't realize this, this is good news that it's made of polycarbonate. Thank you for posting, Michael!

[sth]

As someone who eats all organic, why wouldn't you
want the same for your tea?

Pesticides are toxins that will be absorbed by your body when
you ingest them with your food.

Pesticides and other chemicals are notoriously used in the tea
industry. If you are concerned enough to eat all organic, do some
research into pesticides in tea.

Order from a reputable vendor who sells organic teas. Even then you may never be certain that what you are getting is organic -- as it is with anything that is supposedly organic, but at least you have a better chance at getting something not so toxic.

The site admin. works for a company that does not sell organic teas. What else could he say?

[Chip]

I almost missed this thread. This happens to be a subject that is more and more on my mind these days. I used to drink Chinese teas 90% of the time...now I drink Chinese tea around 10-20% of the time, opting for Japanese teas due firstly because I truly crave japanese tea and secondly due to the whole contamination issue surrounding Chinese products...INCLUDING TEA.

I simply refuse to bury my head in the sand and ignore the problem any longer. China has a reputation for the general disregard for fellow man, Chinese or otherwise. The fact is, there is contaminated tea coming out of China, to deny this is shear folly.

DDT is still being used illegally in China. There is also a concern about excess levels of lead in Chinese tea. Many other pesticides are used inappropriately...such as nonagricultural pesticides that should not be used on food crops are routinely used.

I say these things with a heavy heart because I happen to love Chinese teas. But I cannot help but worry about what is in my cup everytime I drink a cup of Chinese tea.

Clearly, something needs to be done to protect American consumers of tea. A stand needs to be taken, and consumers of tea need to be educated. But this is only part of the solution. I am in the process of forming a nonprofit org to test tea for common contaminants. I will share more on this soon. I hope you will keep your eyes open for it and support this effort to provide accurate information on this subject as well as verifiable testing info on specific teas from as many vendors as is practical.

Any vendor who takes a stand contrary to the facts is acting irresponsibly and is misleading the public. A vendor who takes a firm stand on this issue and is working proactively to correct the ongoing problem has my full attention and respect. But vendors must be willing to desire this change.

[mcmoogly]

Well it seems as quite a debate I have started, eh? I order organic fair-trade tea from Rishi at my work but I have purchased sampler packs from Adagio teas because I'm new to tea and want to educate myself. I also like Adagio teas as a company too. Chip, thanks for sharing your comments and research. Please update us on your organization!

[Wesli]

Hear, hear!

[Ed]

Chip is right, this is a real problem. DDT is still being produced and used in China and India, along with other dangerous chemicals in the same category. DDT has been banned as a "Persistent Organic Pollutant", but it's cheap and China and India and other countries will continue to use it until we stop buying their products which are contaminated with it. We just don't want to be rewarding a country for their environmental irresponsibility. Demand safe tea and we all win!

[mcmoogly]

Viva la revolution on TeaChat forums!

[mcmoogly]

DDT (from its original chemical name, Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane) is one of the best known synthetic pesticides. It was originally synthesized in 1874 but its insecticidal properties were not discovered until 1939. In the early years of World War II DDT was used with great effect to combat mosquitoes spreading malaria, typhus, and other insect-borne human diseases among both military and civilian populations.

Concerns about DDT's environmental effects grew out of direct personal observations, usually involving a marked reduction in bird life, later supplemented by scientific investigation.

The effects of DDT on human health are disputed since studies have yielded conflicting results.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT

[michael]

Here's a bit more info on DDT that I hope may shift the debate from "DDT bad, organic good" to one possessing more subtlety, nuance and cultural sensitivity:

From the 1940s onward, DDT was used to kill agricultural pests and disease-carrying insects because it was cheap and lasted longer than other insecticides. DDT helped much of the developed world, including the United States and Europe, eradicate malaria. Then in the 1970s, after the publication of Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring,” which raised concern over DDT’s effects on wildlife and people, the chemical was banned in many countries. Birds, especially, were said to be vulnerable, and the chemical was blamed for reduced populations of bald eagles, falcons and pelicans. Scientific scrutiny has failed to find conclusive evidence that DDT causes cancer or other health problems in humans.

The above excerpt comes from the August 20th Op-Ed piece in the NY Times. Will gladly mail the full text article to all who are interested.

[Chip]

Here's a bit more info on DDT that I hope may shift the debate from "DDT bad, organic good" to one possessing more subtlety, nuance and cultural sensitivity:

From the 1940s onward, DDT was used to kill agricultural pests and disease-carrying insects because it was cheap and lasted longer than other insecticides. DDT helped much of the developed world, including the United States and Europe, eradicate malaria. Then in the 1970s, after the publication of Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring,” which raised concern over DDT’s effects on wildlife and people, the chemical was banned in many countries. Birds, especially, were said to be vulnerable, and the chemical was blamed for reduced populations of bald eagles, falcons and pelicans. Scientific scrutiny has failed to find conclusive evidence that DDT causes cancer or other health problems in humans.

The above excerpt comes from the August 20th Op-Ed piece in the NY Times. Will gladly mail the full text article to all who are interested.

Yes, please PM that article to me, Michael. Thanx.

Still it is a banned pesticide here in the USA. I would rather drink tea w/out DDT contamination. It is also a matter of how much contamination. Some say there are acceptable levels of certain contaminants. Unfortunately we are human lab rats in times like this.

I still feel much more testing of imported tea from China...and India, needs to be done. Many teas coming into the US have higher than acceptable levels of contaminants.

Bottom line is...Bald eagle populations plummeted during the DDT era. That says something. It had a direct biological effect, most noticably on the egg shell thickness if memory serves me right.

[Ed]

I'm sorry to have to say that my experience with organic tea has been mixed. I had some organic Long Jing that was excellent. But I just had some organic Sencha that wasn't so great. I am drinking mostly non-organic Japanese tea at the moment. I think the point is to look at the country of origin and see if they have any environmental concern whatsoever. I believe Japan overall does have a good environmental ethic. I don't know anyone who would claim the same of China. China is widely known to have serious problems with pollution. Do a quick search on the subject and you'll see what I mean.

Back to what the OP was talking about with plastics; I wonder the same thing about the water bottle I use when I go running or hiking. It was made in China (like almost everything else). I wonder what it was made of - because I know the people running the factories are only concerned with turning out as many parts per minute as possible. They will cut corners anywhere they can to make more profit. They will use cheaper plastics even if they are less safe. They do not care. I've worked in manufacturing and this is the attitude in that business. Thankfully, in the U.S. we have the EPA and OSHA to answer to. Anyone who wonders what goes on in China could easily look it up and find out. They have serious problems with pollution over there. It doesn't really matter if it's DDT, lead or whatever. They aren't going to stop sending us polluted goods until we stop buying them. Until they wake up, I'll keep getting my tea from reputable Japanese sources.

[mcmoogly]

I think as long as you know your source and trust your seller then that is what's important. When I can buy fair-trade, I do because of the cultural benefits. But overall, just do your research and draw your own conclusions and from that make your decisions.

[michael]

The story is rarely this clear cut. Japan has suffered a number of public safety scandals, for example:

"Snow Brand's meatpacking subsidiary was accused last month of illegally repackaging imported beef to make it appear to be domestic and qualify for special government subsidies; a criminal investigation was begun. The scandal was the latest in a string of episodes that have rocked corporate Japan and raised concerns among the country's consumers.

"And it has undone the company's 18-month campaign to repair its image and regain consumer trust after Snow Brand suffered a major setback in July 2000 -- a sweeping recall of its dairy products because milk contaminated with bacteria made more than 13,000 people ill." (NY Times, Feb. 6, 2002)

More troubling still, its Ministry of Health presided over a fiasco that infected 2000 of Japanese citizens with HIV virus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV-tainte ... al_(Japan)

This does not negate the damage to China's reputation stemming from defective toys, dog food and tires (anyone recall Firestone?). However, I do hope it give us all pause and restraint in bashing the thousands upon thousands of reputable producers, growers and manufactures who need not suffer the transgressions of a few bad apples. The latter, unfortunately, rear their ugly head everywhere.