There’s lead in so much of what we consume—from our chocolates to our protein powders. That fact can make one want to give up eating entirely and maybe just, I don’t know, exclusively drink tea or something. That absurd idea I just invented might actually have some merit to it. New research suggests that brewing tea may help filter out any lingering heavy metals in the water you used to brew it.A team of researchers from Northwestern University, who published their findings in the scientific journal ACS Food Science & Technology, found that tea leaves, especially the ones brewed in cellulose bags, can trap any contaminants floating around in your water. However, some of those teabags might be releasing microplastics into your water. Because in our modern world, if you dodge one threat, you’ll just be bludgeoned by another.Brewing Tea Can Help Filter Out Lead In WaterThe team took all sorts of factors into account, like the type of tea, the type of bag, and the brew time, to determine which ones absorbed metals the best. Overall, they found that brewing a bag of tea can filter out around 15 percent of lead from drinking water. That’s based on one mug of water and one bag of tea that’s been brewed for 3 to 5 minutes. The factor that most contributed to the absorption of metals was the amount of time the teabag was steeped. The longer it lingered in the water, the more metal it absorbed. Of course, go a little too long you have a shitty cup of tea that’s way too strong, but at least it won’t have as much lead. A lot of the contaminants that can cause you harm our filtered out by municipal water systems. According to the EPA, lead can enter drinking water through plumbing materials, especially old, outdated materials that are in desperate need of replacement. A home water filter, like a simple Brita filtration system that you can pick up at the store for relatively cheap, can supposedly remove up to 99 percent of the lead in your water. If you live in a developed nation like the United States or Canada, you don’t have to worry too much about lead levels in your water unless you’ve got lead pipes in your home. But if you want a little bit more peace of mind, a bag of tea will filter out a little bit more of it.The team also found that the type of bag matters, too. A cellulose bag was best at absorbing metals while bags made of synthetic materials like nylon were not as effective at retaining the metals it absorbed. One key part of the study though is that the researchers note that they used higher concentrations of lead that would usually be found in common American drinking water.They say that a cup of brewed tea contains around 1 to 4 parts per billion of lead. The average amount of lead in public water systems in the United States is anywhere between 1 to 10 parts per billion. Anything in the 30 to 100 parts per billion would be considered highly contaminated. The researchers used a concentration of 1,000 parts per billion. So they weren’t exactly working with conditions comparable to everyday tea drinking habits.In conclusion, while tea may offer a modest benefit in reducing lead levels in water, it should not replace more effective water treatment methods. This study serves as a reminder to remain mindful of the quality of drinking water, particularly for vulnerable populations like children, who are at greater risk from lead exposure.The post There’s Lead in Your Water—But Brewing Tea Can Fix That appeared first on VICE.