On Sep 17, 2:11 am, "Melinda" > wrote:
> > wrote in message
>
> oups.com...
>
>
>
> > On Sep 16, 3:32 am, Tea Sunrise > wrote:
> >> Since a lot of the tea we drink comes from China and Indonesia, are
> >> you ever worried that the tea leaves were sprayed with pesticides such
> >> as DDT or other harmful chemicals? I'd hate to think that I could
> >> be drinking a cup full of toxins or pesticides along with my EGCG.
>
> >> Is the correct move to switch to organic teas? Does anyone really
> >> know if tea bushes are completely safe for consumption?
>
> >> Any input is highly appreciated. thanks.
>
> > I completely agree with you. I recently read a newspaper article
> > about a woman who became ill due to drinking green tea which was
> > contaminated with DDT (she drink the same tea for a couple of years -
> > a cheap Chinese green tea). While I agree that "going organic" is no
> > guarantee of avoiding toxins, I do think that going organic can help
> > to reduce the chance of your tea being contaminated. I recently asked
> > Upton Tea about how they ensure that their teas are organic - they
> > told me that they do test most of the organic teas from time to time
> > to make sure everything is ok. I also read that in 2000 the EU
> > introduced new standards for tea. The number of restricted chemicals
> > jumped from 7 to 134. From what I understand, these standards actually
> > require testing of the end product as opposed to merely making sure no
> > pesticides are used, etc. According to this China Daily article the
> > result of the new EU regulations was that in 2001 tea exports from
> > China to the EU dropped by 37%. (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/
> > doc/2004-04/13/content_322923.htm) (Sorry, not trying to pick on
> > Chinese teas.) As a result I have tried ordering some teas from the
> > EU. Specifically I ordered some teas from Jing Tea in the UK. (http://
> > jingtea.com/). The only problem is expense.
>
> > Another tea shop that actually tests every tea they sell is a German
> > tea company (Tea Gschwender) which has a shop in Chicago that you can
> > order from. I just tried something from there as well. They seem to
> > be slow in stocking new Chinese greens and oolongs. (http://
> >www.teagschwendner.com/)
>
> > I have to admit I'm still trying to figure out exactly what the US and
> > other organic certifications really mean. I do find the concept of
> > actually testing the tea easier to understand!
>
> > Good luck in you search for toxin-free tea. I'm doing the same.
>
> This brings up something I've been meaning to ask the group...if I wanted to
> take a sample of tea from my cupboard and get it analyzed for pesticides
> etc., how would I go aobut doing that? I imagine a lab, but what kind, how
> would I find one, and would they do such a thing for a member of the general
> public?
>
> Melinda

University of California, Davis - well-known for their agricultural
additive studies.
Not expensive, at all.
Shen