Matcha safety and contaminants: the research

Because matcha is the whole powdered leaf rather than an infusion, anything in the leaf ends up in the cup. This topic collects the testing studies: fluoride content, pesticide residue methods, trace elements and minerals, microplastics, and detection of industrial solvents in commercial matcha.

It is a small body of work, and it is worth saying plainly what it does not contain: this library holds no study that measures lead or other heavy metals in matcha specifically. Results also vary by origin, grade and growing conditions, so read the sampling details in each paper.