Lead contamination in different varieties of tea plant (Camellia sinensis L.) and factors affecting lead bioavailability

Abstract

The results indicated that the uptake, transport and accumulation of Pb by tea plant organs were strongly governed by soil conditions and tea variety, thus providing tea producers with useful information on variety selection for the production of quality teas containing low levels of Pb.

Analysis of Trace Metals and Perfluorinated Compounds in 43 Representative Tea Products from South China

“…The main sources of heavy metals in tea samples are their growth media and local environmental factors. Chen and others () reported that Pb availability increased significantly as the soil pH decreased. The Cu availability in soil was affected by soil pH and organic matter contents (Jin and others ).…”

“…Qin and Chen () found that premium grade tea (tender tea) contains less Pb. Chen and others () found that different tea varieties had different abilities in uptake, translocation, and accumulation of heavy metals. This may in part explain why the trace metal concentrations in the 3 types of tea were black tea > Oolong tea > green tea.…”

Trace elements in tea leaves, made tea and tea infusion: A review

“…Chen et al (2009) reported that among the tested toxic heavy metals, the most abundant metal in the tea leaves was Pb, which is of the most concern by tea drinkers, ranging between 2.28 and 5.61 mg kg − 1 among the eight cultivars. Among 41 tea plant varieties, Chen, Xu, Yu, Chen, and Shi (2010) further reported that the ratio of Pb concentration in mature leaves to that in young leaves ranged from 1.7 to 6.5 where the minimum concentration of Pb in young leaf was 1 mg kg − 1 and the maximum was 19.8 mg kg − 1 .…”

Analytical Assessment of Bio- and Toxic Elements Distribution in Pu-erh and Fruit Teas in View of Chemometric Approach

“…The main sources of heavy metals in tea such as Pb and Cd are fertilizers and local environmental factors [ 8 ]. Chen et al [ 9 ] reported that Pb availability increased significantly as the soil pH decreased. Lead enters human body mainly through oral ingestion and absorption through the gut.…”