Teabloom’s Celebration borosilicate glass tea pot set with infuser, blooming teas, teacups, teapot, and tea warmer

Chances Are Your Beautiful Porcelain Teapot is Secretly Poisoning You

By Erika Robertson

There is nothing quite so divine as steeping a relaxing and delicious pot of tea. This moment is your escape from the busy world. Tea brings people together and there are very few occasions where tea isn’t a welcome part of the scene. 

Tea is by far the most popular beverage in the world. Next to water, it’s the most consumed beverage in the world. Tea is healthy. Tea is affordable. And tea is delicious. — But, tea can be deadly.

We aren’t talking about the harm that teabags cause to the environment and your health. We aren’t even talking about the quality of the tea itself. It’s the teaware that you drink your tea from.

The bad news is if you drink tea, you are most likely steeping yourself a daily dose of toxic chemicals.

The good news is there are ways to turn your tea routine around and that starts with the right teaware.

Is Your Teapot Safe to Use?

Chances are you drink tea from a traditional porcelain or metal teapot. You know all about using the right kind of water for tea. You know how to make a proper pot of tea and how to measure loose tea leaves. And you love to bundle up your porcelain teapot in a cute little tea cozy. — But tradition and ritual have a price.

The tea industry is a big place and manufacturers might not care about the long-term health effects their products have on people. Teapots and teaware specifically have a long and turbulent relationship with toxins and chemicals. 

The base of ceramic teapots is made with porous materials. Because of this, most of them are covered with glaze to help keep moisture out. The ceramic isn’t a problem but the glaze is toxic. 

White ceramic teapot with birds on table with flowers

How Toxins Affect Your Body

Many widely-used teapots can test positive for lead, cadmium, and other harmful metals. Dietary exposure to lead is a huge public health issue. The FDA warns that the glaze used in making ceramic ware can contain components of lead and cadmium.1

Ceramicware includes porcelain and stoneware. Metallic teapots may have a significant source of lead, nickel, and other chemical elements.2 Prolonged lead exposure can lead to anemia, weakness, kidney failure, brain damage, and even death.3 Long-term exposure to cadmium can lead to organ system toxicity and cancer.4

Lead-free, Lead-safe, and Leaching

Most companies claim to produce lead-free teapots. But, at the same time, many of these companies don’t know the chemical breakdowns of the glazes they use. 

Sometimes they refuse to comment on the kinds of glazes that they use in production. It’s important to know the difference between a lead-free and a lead-safe teapot. It’s also important to understand what leaching is.

Lead-Free

A lead-free teapot is free from any traces of lead. You might question if the glaze on your lead-free teapot is toxic. It’s always a good idea to test the glaze on your teapot if lead is a big concern to you. Kits are available online that allow you to test the glaze at home.   

Lead-Safe

A lead-safe teapot has minimal traces of leachable lead paint. The lead in the paint doesn’t exceed two or three parts per million.5 These decorative paint designs are usually found outside your teapot. Because the paint doesn’t come into direct contact with your tea, lead doesn’t leach into your beverage.

Leaching

Leaching is when lead paint chips off or seeps into your tea or food. Leaching is more likely to happen when food or beverages are hot or acidic and they come into contact with the glazes.

Borosilicate glass teapot with two cups and yellow flowers

What is the Healthiest Teapot?

Studies show that the purest and safest material for both tea kettles and teapots is glass — But not any kind of glass. Borosilicate glass is by far the most beneficial material for your teapot. 

Borosilicate glass teapots don’t release toxins or metals. They have quality and long safety records. And they far outweigh the negative health impacts of porcelain and metal teapots.7

How to Salvage Your Lead-Safe Glass Teapot

Sometimes companies use glaze to paint their brand logos on teaware. These small marks are underneath the base of lead-safe or lead-free glass teapots. The good news is that these marks have no direct contact with the tea you drink.  

This kind of teaware may still test lead-free because no traces of lead are ever detected within the laboratory testing results. But if you aren’t comfortable using your lead-safe borosilicate glass teapot there are a few ways to remove the glaze:

Nail Polish Remover

Dab a little bit of nail polish remover on the paint. Let it sit for a few minutes before wiping it away with a microfiber cloth. 

Rubbing Alcohol

You can also use rubbing alcohol to remove the paint marks. Let a small amount saturate the paint and remove it with a cloth.

Vinegar

If you prefer a more natural method use vinegar. Heat a few tablespoons of water and mix it with a splash of vinegar to create a paint-removing solution.

Borosilicate glass handleless teacup on fabric coaster with yellow flowers

What are the Benefits of Borosilicate Glass?

Using a glass teapot might seem intimidating at first because it looks so fragile. Borosilicate glass teapots might even seem untraditional. You might associate them with novice blooming teas and amateur tea drinkers. 

But don’t let the quick opinions of seasoned tea drinkers fool you. Borosilicate glass teapots are healthy, durable, and the clean future of the tea industry. Here are a few reasons why they are incredible:

Strength and Temperature Superiority

Borosilicate glass teapots have more silicone dioxide than other glassware. This means it’s much less likely to break and crack. Borosilicate glass can also handle extreme temperature changes. This means you can steep your hot tea without worrying about shattering or cracking the glass.

Chemical and Corrosion Resistance

A borosilicate glass teapot has an amazing resistance to water corrosion and is better than most metals and materials, which is why it’s used for laboratory equipment. It’s so resistant to chemicals that it’s even used to store nuclear waste. This means your new teapot won’t leach chemicals into your delicious and healthy tea.

Easy to Clean

Glass is non-porous, anti-stick, and very easy to clean. Smooth glass surfaces are resistant to staining and don’t need a lot of scrubbing. 

Because your borosilicate glass teapot is completely clear you can get rid of every dirty spot with a soft sponge or cloth. Tea stains are a thing of the past! They are even dishwasher, stovetop, and microwave-safe.

Affordable and Long-Lasting

Traditional porcelain and metallic teapots can be expensive. They flake and deteriorate over time. Borosilicate glass teapots are a healthy and affordable option for every tea drinker. With proper care, your borosilicate teapot can last a lifetime.

Friendly for the Environment

Toxic chemicals are horrible for you and the environment. Lead and cadmium can leach into your tea leaves and leftover tea water. Scrubbing your glazed teapot can release toxins into the water. This water can make its way into landfills, lakes, and oceans. 


Borosilicate glass teapots are made with natural materials. These materials are easier to source than oil and have a smaller impact on the environment.6

Tea Tastes Much Better

Do you ever notice that sometimes your tea tastes a little off? There’s something chemical and metallic about the flavor, and it doesn’t taste as good. This might be  because of toxins from lead paint and other materials leach from your teapot into your tea. 

This doesn't happen with a borosilicate glass teapot. With one of these revolutionary teapots, you can enjoy the pure and perfect flavors of your favorite teas without the fear of leaching toxins.

Where Can You Buy a Borosilicate Glass Teapot?

More tea companies are opening their eyes to the benefits of borosilicate glassware. Glass teapots and blooming teas are a fun way to introduce new tea drinkers to the exciting world of tea. But borosilicate glass teapots also promote your health and wellness and are a sustainable solution to enjoying tea

Teabloom is on a mission to change the tea narrative. Since day one they’ve given people solutions to healthier, lead-free teaware. They are officially certified lead-free, so you can drink every cup with absolute peace of mind. 

Teablooom’s elegant lead-free teapots are beautiful, strong, and 100% lead-free. This glass mixture surpasses the lead-safe standards of traditional lead-safe glazes. 

At Teabloom, you can explore the largest selection of borosilicate glass teapots and teaware in various styles and silhouettes to suit your personal taste. Take the first step to a better and healthier tea journey, with Teabloom. 

www.teabloom.com

References:

  1. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_122.html
  2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51485767_Tea_brewed_in_traditional_metallic_teapots_as_a_significant_source_of_lead_nickel_and_other_chemical_elements#:~:text=Most%20teapots%20showed%20a%20high,the%20market%20by%20the%20FASFC. 
  3. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/lead/health.html#:~:text=Exposure%20to%20high%20levels%20of,a%20developing%20baby's%20nervous%20system. 
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5596182/#:~:text=Long%2Dterm%20exposure%20to%20cadmium,peripheral%20nervous%2C%20and%20respiratory%20systems.
  5. https://thegoodlifedesigns.com/how-to-tell-if-dishes-have-lead/
  6. https://www.ddpsinc.com/knowledge/what-are-the-benefits-of-borosilicate-glass