Staff Reporter :
A new study has raised a red flag over the safety of one of Bangladesh’s most consumed beverages-tea. The Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO) revealed on Thursday that dangerously high levels of heavy metals have been detected in tea bags widely available in the country’s markets, posing a serious public health threat.
The findings were published in ESDO’s latest report, “Brewing Toxicity: Uncovering Heavy Metal Risks in Tea Bags and Tea Leaves,” unveiled at the organisation’s Dhaka headquarters.
Laboratory tests on 13 samples-12 tea bag varieties and one loose-leaf product-showed contamination that in some cases was hundreds of times above globally accepted safe limits.
According to the report, the results are alarming, chromium: up to 1,690 ppm (safe limit 5 ppm), lead:51 ppm (limit 5 ppm), mercury:108 ppm (limit 0.3 ppm), arsenic:14 ppm (limit 2 ppm), antimony in packaging: up to 154 ppm and traces of uranium and thorium were also detected.
Such high concentrations of toxic metals could cause serious health complications, including kidney and liver damage, neurological disorders, weakened immunity, and even cancer with long-term exposure, experts warn.
The study notes that 55 percent of consumers drink two to three cups of tea daily, while 27 percent consume four or more cups. Yet, shockingly, only 1percent of consumers are aware of the potential presence of harmful heavy metals in tea bags.
While the tea leaves themselves were found to contain beneficial nutrients-such as iron, manganese, copper, zinc, and cobalt-ESDO emphasized that these positives are heavily outweighed by the toxic load.
“This is not just an environmental concern-it is a clear violation of consumer rights and a major public health hazard,” said Syed MarghubMorshed, Chairman of ESDO. “We urge authorities, producers, and all stakeholders to take immediate corrective measures.”
Public health experts argue that the crisis highlights glaring weaknesses in regulatory oversight.
Bangladesh currently lacks stringent standards for heavy metal contamination in tea bags and packaging, leaving consumers exposed. The report urges the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) and the Food Safety Authority to introduce stricter monitoring, enforce compliance, and conduct regular market inspections.
Globally, there is growing awareness of packaging-related contamination, particularly from plastic and low-grade paper materials that release toxins during steeping in hot water.
ESDO’s findings suggest that similar problems exist in Bangladesh’s tea industry, potentially undermining both local consumption safety and the country’s tea export reputation.
Consumer rights groups and environmental activists are now calling for public awareness campaigns, mandatory labeling of safe materials in packaging, and penalties for violators.
Without swift action, they warn, millions of regular tea drinkers in Bangladesh could unknowingly be exposing themselves to toxic metals every day.
