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.

Just put the leaves in your water and steep them, they naturally remove metals,' research author says - Anadolu Ajansı

The world's most popular beverage may do more than just warm you up or wake you up - it could help protect you from lead contamination. New research reveals that the simple act of steeping tea removes a meaningful portion of lead from drinking water,

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.

A new study from Northwestern University reveals that tea leaves naturally remove toxic heavy metals from water as they steep. The researchers found that lead and cadmium — dangerous contaminants that can pose serious health risks — cling to the surface of tea leaves, effectively reducing the levels of these metals in the final brew.

Researchers tested black, green, oolong, white, chamomile and rooibos teas — both loose-leaf and commercially bagged.

According to a team of researchers from Northwestern University, tea leaves and bags adsorb lead, trapping lead ions on their surfaces and filtering them from drinking water during the process of tea brewing.