The determination of tea contamination by cadmium and copper in tea available on the Polish market

摘要

The content of cadmium and copper in tea imported from Asian (China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam) and African (Kenya, Malawi) countries was determined in this paper. A diversified level of cadmium was found. The highest quantities of cadmium were determined in tea from China, 0.072-0.135 mg/kg and the lowest level was found in tea from Vietnam, ranging from 0.012 to 0.067 mg/kg (mean 0.039 mg/kg). Highly different concentrations of copper in tea imported to Poland was found. The highest level of copper was detected in tea from Indonesia, 36.86-142.00 mg/kg, and the lowest in tea from Kenya 11.41-26.44 mg/kg. The authors have also proven that African tea contained less copper than Asian tea.