That comforting hot cup of tea—or refreshing glass of iced tea on a hot summer day—could help reduce the amount of toxic metals in drinking water, according to a new paper published in the journal ACS Food & Science Technology.

In a new study, Northwestern University researchers demonstrated that brewing tea naturally adsorbs heavy metals like lead and cadmium, effectively filtering dangerous contaminants out of drinks. Heavy metal ions stick to, or adsorb to, the surface of the tea leaves, where they stay trapped until the used tea bag is disposed of.

Scientists have good news for tea lovers. Brewing tea removes harmful heavy metals like lead and cadmium from the water, reports the journal "ACS Food Science & Technology". Researchers from Northwestern University in Evanston,