Bubble tea is a widely popular drink known for the chewy tapioca balls at the bottom. Those balls are derived from cassava, a root vegetable that can have naturally high levels of lead.

“You are being exposed to lead from the bubble teas,” said Sana Mujahid, manager of food safety research and testing for Consumer Reports.

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Consumer Reports tested bubble tea, also called boba, from several major brands: popular tea chains Gong Cha and Kung Fu Tea, as well as packaged products from Trader Joe’s and WuFuYuan. The organization detected lead in every produ

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