The “pearls” in boba (or bubble) tea have been linked to cancer shown by results of a German study.
“In all the samples we discovered the presence of PCB-like substances, which strongly increase the risk of cancer,” said Manfred Möller, a leading researcher involved in the boba tea study by the University Hospital Aachen in Germany, as told to the Rheinische Post, a German publication.
PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, are man-made organic chemicals also found in floor finishes and motor oil. Strong evidence suggests that they cause cancer in animals and are a probable carcinogen in humans. Various studies show links to malignant melanomas and liver cancers.
In the study done by the University Hospital Aachen, also known as UKA after its German name, researchers gathered samples from a national chain store in Germany that says they get their boba pearls from a source in Taiwan. These “pearls” are small balls of tapioca that rest at the bottom of the tea mixed with milk or fruit juice. All of the tested samples contained the toxic chemical.
Chewy Boba Company, a local store near the University of Central Florida that sells the drink, opened in January this year. The manager, Quang Vu, opened the store after owning Lollicup, another store where boba is sold.
“Everything we have has been tested. We have proof that our supplies do not contain that toxin,” he said. “We are a supplier for our area, we have a huge warehouse. And we get ours from the largest supplier in the world.”
Elisa Tactuk, a UCF student, was shocked when she heard about the toxins in the tapioca balls but feels more secure drinking Chewy Boba’s tea after knowing it has been tested and proved negative for any trace of PCBs.
“I had no idea there was a study done on the drink and that those results showed something as extreme as a chemical causing cancer,” she said. “I had no idea at all!”
Boba tea has also been known to be very fattening and unhealthy, but that obviously has not stopped students of UCF from drinking it. Will this recent information about cancer risks change their habits, or will they ignore that too?
Megan Sullivan, a sophomore, drinks the tea a couple of times a week. She says the appeal of it is that is so different from other drinks and after being informed about the study done, it wouldn’t change her opinion.
“Nowadays, it seems like everything contains something that could cause us to develop cancer,” she said.
This study is good for the health of the people who drink this tea but it could hurt the business of the boba companies in the future. The results found in the study can turn customers off to the drink and scare away those who haven’t even tried it. For Victoria Zollo, a UCF student, that’s exactly what it did.
“I’ve never tried it. I might have eventually but not now. After hearing about how it can be linked to causing cancer, I probably won’t drink it,” she said.
According to the manager, Vu, at Chewy Boba, business has not been affected. Customers still consist of about 65% students and a lot of loyal families of the owners and workers.
