PRESENCE AND SOURCE OF TOXIC HEAVY METALS IN CAMELLIA SINENSIS SHOOT

Tea has been considered as a health promoting drink & stimulant. Globally 4842.1 thousand tons tea consume annually. But due to change in soil characteristics, indiscriminate use of pesticide & fertilizer lead to accumulation of toxic heavy metal like Lead(Pb), Arsenic(As), Copper(Cu), Nickel(Ni) & Cadmium(Cd) in tea leafs & bud. Tea market in India is not well regulated, an abundance of loose tea dust grade leaf very often sell in the local market without any proper labeling and regulatory license no. As this metal have high molecular weight and need more time to eliminate from our body, therefore, serious health ailment like teratogenicity, spontaneous abortion, renal failure & encephalopathy may happen if heavy metal presence in tea leafs & bud above the limit set by different regulatory authorities. In this review, we try to find out the source of heavy metal in the tea garden and differ limit for heavy metal set by major regulatory agencies. Soil, irrigation water, underground water, fertilizer, pesticide & anthropogenic factor influence the accumulation of heavy metal in tea leaf & shoot. Although all factors related heavy metal entry into the plant is not possible particularly the anthropogenic factors. But good agricultural practice can limit the entry of heavy metal into a shrub