Green Tea Tested for PFAS “Forever Chemicals” — Guide

Which Green Teas do not have PFAS “forever chemicals” inside the tea leaves? This is the question we attempted to answer when we sent the most popular green tea brands used inside our community to an EPA-certified laboratory to have the tea leaves tested for 40 PFAS analytes. You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you consumer studies like safest olive oils tested for phthalates, safest coffee tested for PFAS, mycotoxins, & pesticides, safest water filters, & safest cookware, now join us for our latest study testing popular green teas for forty specific PFAS compounds.

Disclosure: This consumer study is released in partnership with Environmental Health News. Scientific reviews were performed by (1) Linda S. Birnbaum, Scientist Emeritus and Former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program & Scholar in Residence at Duke University, Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina, & Yale University, (2)Terrence Collins, Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry & Director of the Institute for Green Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN. Donations were provided by Environmental Health News and Mamavation community members. Note that Mamavation has only “spot-checked” the industry and thus we cannot make predictions about brands and products that we have not tested. Products and manufacturing aides can change without notice so buyer beware. This post contains affiliate links, with some to Amazon, which means Mamavation will receive a portion of those sales and we will use that to pay ourselves back for the testing. You can also give a tax-deductible donation to our consumer studies here through Environmental Health Sciences. Thank you! Copyright © 2025 Mamavation — All Rights Reserved

Traces of PFAS “Forever Chemicals” Were Found in Half the Green Tea Leaves

Mamavation’s EPA-certified laboratory found per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS “forever chemicals”) in 12 popular green tea leaves. These chemicals are linked to serious health effects, which we will discuss later. Because PFAS “forever chemicals” are so problematic to normal hormone action, Mamavation has commissioned our own scientific studies on PFAS in food products to make recommendations for the safest green teas. Continue reading Mamavation’s article on these products to find which brands have the safest green tea according to our laboratory.

For this consumer study, Mamavation sent 12 popular green teas from 12 brands to an EPA-certified laboratory looking for specific PFAS compounds. The tea leaves were tested for 40 PFAS chemicals. Because Mamavation only tested one product per brand, we cannot claim to know if these issues are, in fact, industry-wide or brand-wide. However, based on our “spot-check” of the industry, this is what we found:

• 50% of green tea leaves had detectable PFAS “forever chemicals,’ according to our lab. That’s 6 out of 12 green tea brands tested that had PFAS.
• 33% of green tea leaves had quantifiable levels of PFAS “forever chemicals” according to our lab. This means the levels of PFAS found were high enough to quantify. That’s 4 out of 12 green tea brands.
• The most common type of PFAS found by our lab was PFOA, Perfluorooctanoic acid.
• Ranges of PFOA: 0.103  ng/g  to 0.397 ng/g. ng/g is parts per billion (ppb).

Linda S. Birnbaum, Scientist Emeritus and Former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program & Scholar in Residence at Duke University, Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina, & Yale University had this to say: “It’s disappointing to find PFAS inside Green Tea. This relaxing tea is used by billions of people around the world, and exposure to these hormone-disrupting chemicals is problematic for human health.”

PFAS “Forever Chemicals” Have Problematic Health Effects

PFAS “forever chemicals” are problematic for human health and the environment. They are considered ubiquitous, persistent, and toxic. Therefore, reducing the amount of PFAS you are exposed to from food, water, and other beverages like tea is imperative. Mamavation is dedicated to helping you do that when shopping for tea.

Here are some of the adverse health effects of different PFAS “forever chemicals:”

• Reduction in immunity
• Reduced vaccination response
• Increased risk of allergies & asthma in young children
• Affected growth, learning, and behavior of infants and older children
• Increases cholesterol levels
• Metabolic diseases like obesity & diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease
• Lowered a woman’s chance of getting pregnant
• Lowered male fertility
• Increased risk of kidney & testicular cancers
• Causes endocrine disruption
• Disrupted normal thyroid function
• Increases risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children 

It’s also very clear, based on biomonitoring evidence from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), that PFAS are in all Americans. Therefore, these exposures can harm most Americans.

Specific PFAS Found by Mamavation’s Laboratory

Mamavation’s laboratory found 6 PFAS chemicals within all the green tea leaves sent to the lab. Although we were not able to get specific details of where each brand’s sourcing farms were located, most of the geographic regions sourced from based on marketing materials and customer service inquiries, were in China, Japan, & Vietnam. These chemicals are listed as the most commonly found in our study. The chemical found most often was PFOA, which was found in 3 products.

• PFOA: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is the most well-studied PFAS chemical with a wide variety of adverse health effects in both animals and people. This chemical has been classified as carcinogenic to humans by WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)and the US EPA. Many PFAS, such as PFOA, do not break down in the environment via natural processes and are commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” because of their status as a persistent organic pollutant (POP).  PFOA is known to move through the environment and contaminate drinking water and soil as it bioaccumulates. Residues have been consistently found throughout the world in wildlife, humans, and the environment. PFOA is also very persistent in people.
• PFPeA: Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA) is a lesser-known PFAS compound most notably found in firefighting foams, industrial surfactants, stain-resistant coatings for textiles, carpets, and furniture. PFPeA is an example of “short-chain” PFAS compounds which were created to replace “long-chain” PFAS, such as PFOA and PFOS. Although PFPeA has not been studied intensively,  such “short-chain” PFAS chemicals are also very persistent in the environment and can get into places where they were not expected to be found. In animal studies, this chemical has also been linked to liver problems, inflammatory responses, and immune issues. North Carolina is the state where this chemical is most often found in the water supply. This chemical is part of a family of perfluoroalkyl carboxylates, which is similar in structure to PFOA but with a carbon chain length of only 5 carbons. PFPeA can also be found in the body due to dermal contact.
• PFHpA:  Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), which has 7 carbon atoms, is considered a short-chain PFAS chemical. These perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids and their salts are used as surfactants that reduce the surface tension of water and other organic liquids. These acids and derivatives are used as wetting, dispersing, emulsifying, and foaming agents in commerce. Health effects include harm to development and the liver.
• PFBA: Perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) is a breakdown chemical of other PFAS used in stain-resistant fabrics, paper food packaging, and carpets. PFBA was also used for manufacturing photographic film. 3M Company was once a major manufacturer of PFBA and products containing PFBA, but their production was phased out in 1998. PFBA continues to be produced by multiple companies in the US and other parts of the world. Exposure to high levels of PFBA resulted in thyroid and liver effects, such as increased thyroid, changes in thyroid hormones, and decreased cholesterol in animal studies. Many PFAS do not break down in the environment via natural processes and are commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” because of their status as a persistent organic pollutant (POP). PFBA is known to move through the environment and contaminate drinking water and soil as it bioaccumulates. Residues have been consistently found worldwide in wildlife, humans, and the environment.
• 6:2FTS: 6:2-Fluorotelomersulfonic acid (6:2FTS) is a replacement chemical for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) used in fire-fighting foams and chromium plating. Although 6:2FTS has not been studied intensively,  such “short-chain” PFAS chemicals have already become very persistent in the environment and can get into places where they were not expected to be found.
• ADONA: 4,8-dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoate (ADONA) was an early alternative to PFOA, used in the production of fluoropolymers since 2008, but studies have proved this chemical is also problematic to human health, just like the other substitutions were.

Recent Studies on PFAS in Teas Have Demonstrated Widespread Contamination

The past five years have seen a flurry of studies looking at specific PFAS compounds and certain foods and beverages like tea. One study claimed that people who drank more tea were more likely to have higher levels of PFAS in their blood. Here are some recent examples of studies done on teas:

• In a study published in 2023, tea bags coming from India were found to contain PFOS, PFHxS, and PFNA present in the tea bag powder and tea bag material.
• In a study published in 2022, bubble tea was found to contain certain PFAS compounds at concerning levels.
• In a Japanese study published in 2021, PFAS was found in Japanese teas, among other products like bottled water and juice.
• Another study in 2021 found specific PFAS compounds in beer and tea.
• A study in 2020 found that coffee/tea was associated with higher plasma concentrations of specific PFAS as well.

Because tea is an everyday product used by millions of families in the United States, Mamavation wanted to establish which green tea brands would be considered the “safest” in terms of PFAS. We’ve also done some additional testing of other teas:

• Mamavation found detectable PFAS in 91% of the Earl Grey Teas sampled.
• Mamavation found detectable PFAS in 54% of Chamomile Teas sampled.

Terrence Collins, Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry & Director of the Institute for Green Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University had this to say about the study: “This study looks at an important question for green tea drinkers. Are ‘forever chemicals’, PFAS compounds that the human body cannot break down and tends to hold on to, in the product contaminant profile? The results speak for themselves. No one wants to be ingesting PFAS when they drink green tea! It’s somewhat comforting that PFAS contamination is not universal, at least in Mamavation’s spot-testing. Green tea drinkers are now armed with the knowledge to send messages of approval or disapproval through their buying habits across the green tea business world.”

Mamavation’s Investigation of Green Tea and 40 Analyte PFAS Testing

Green Tea was purchased between December 2024 and February 2025. Each product was recorded in our database and sent directly to the lab within its original packaging.

Testing Loose Leaf Tea: Mamavation’s EPA-certified laboratory used method EPA 1633 to test for 40 PFAS compounds, including the following:

• Perflurobutanoic acid (PFBA)
• Perfluoropentanoic acid (PFPeA)
• Perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA)
• Perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA)
• Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
• Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
• Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA)
• Perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnA)
• Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA)
• Perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA)
• Perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTeDA)
• Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS)
• Perfluoropentansulfonic acid (PFPeS)
• Perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)
• Perfluoroheptanesulfonic acid (PFHpS)
• Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)
• Perfluoronanesulfonic acid (PFNS)
• Perfluorodecanesulfonic acid (PFDS)
• Perfluorododecanesulfonic acid (PFDoS)
• 1H,1H, 2H, 2H-Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (4:2FTS)
• 1H,1H, 2H, 2H-Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (6:2FTS)
• 1H,1H, 2H, 2H-Perfluorodecane sulfonic acid (8:2FTS)
• Perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA)
• N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamide (NMeFOSA)
• N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamide (NEtFOSA)
• N-methyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetic acid (NMeFOSE)
• N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoethanol (NEtFOSE)
• Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA)
• 4,8-Dioxa-3H-perfluorononanoic acid (ADONA)
• Perfluoro-3-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMPA)
• Perfluoro-4-methoxybutanoic acid (PFMBA)
• Nonafluoro-3,6-dioxaheptanoic acid (NFDHA)
• 9-Chlorohexadecafluoro-3-oxanonane-1-sulfonic acid (9CI-PF3ONS)
• 11-Chloroeicosafluoro-3-oxaundecane-1-sulfonic acid (11CI-PF3OUdS)
• Perfluoro(2-ethoxyethane)sulfonic acid (PFEESA)
• 3-Perfluoropropyl propanoic acid (3:3FTCA)
• 2H,2H,3H,3H-Perfluorooctanoic acid (5:3FTCA)
• 3-Perfluoroheptyl propanoic acid (7:3FTCA)

Not Our Favorite Green Tea

These products were sent off to an EPA-certified laboratory. The tea leaves were tested for 40 PFAS analytes, and each product had positive results.

• Pique Sun Goddess Matcha Green Tea Radiant Skin/ Energy Bioavailable Full Spectrum Ceremonial Grade — Tea Powder: PFPeA 0.226 ng/g, PFHpA 0.137 ng/g, PFBS <MRL. This product has no tea bag.
• The Republic of Tea The People’s Green Tea Daily — Tea Leaves: 0.206 PFOA ng/g
• Traditional Medicinals Organic Green Tea with Toasted Rice Matcha — Tea Leaves: 0.397 PFOA ng/g
• Yogi Green Tea Pure Green Supports Vitality — Tea Leaves: PFOA 0.103 ng/g

Better Green Tea

These products were sent off to an EPA-certified laboratory. The tea leaves were tested for 40 PFAS analytes and each product had positive results, however, the results were so small they were not quantifiable.

• Bigelow Green Tea Certified Organic — Tea Leaves: PFNA <MRL
• Twinings Green Tea Jasmine — Tea Leaves: 6:2FTS <MRL, ADONA <MRL

Best Green Tea

These products were sent off to an EPA-certified laboratory. The tea leaves were tested for 40 PFAS analytes and each product had non-detect results.

• From Great Origins (FGO) Organic Green Tea Bags — Tea Leaves: Non-detect PFAS
• Harney & Sons Nourishing Green Tea Japanese Sencha — Tea Leaves: Non-detect PFAS
• Numi Organic Green Tea Gunpowder Green Full-Bodied and Gently Rolled — Tea Leaves: Non-detect PFAS
• Pukka Spreme Matcha Green Daily Power — Tea Leaves: Non-detect PFAS
• Rishi Jasmine Organic Scented Green Tea Sencha — Tea Leaves: Non-detect PFAS
• TAZO Organic Zen Regenerative Green Tea — Tea Leaves: Non-detect PFAS