By Boba-drinkers may not know that the small black pearl-shaped tapioca balls sitting innocently in the bottom of the milky colored tea could be hurting their health.
A study from the University Hospital Aachen in German indicates that there are cancer-causing chemicals in boba, according to an article in the Huffington Post published on Sept. 5, 2012.
Students, among whom boba tea is particularly popular, should stop drinking boba tea or risk serious health issues later on.
According to the Huffington Post, Manfred Möller, a scientist at the Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, boba brings about adverse health effects on the immune system, the reproductive system, the nervous system and the endocrine system. Most importantly, boba contains styrene, acetophenone and brominated substances that may cause cancer.
Here at California State University, Long Beach, it is important for students to be aware and alert of this problem.
Squeeze Me, a juice and milk-tea vendor on campus in the University Student Union, offers boba as an add-on to many of their drinks. Also, there are several local businesses that serve the tapioca balls, including Cha For Tea on Seventh Street across the street from CSULB.
Some students do not know how harmful this add-on could be, so they keep drinking it, even though later on, they could be diagnosed with cancer. By then, it would be too late to go back and stay away from boba pearls.
“As they say, the bad things are always the ones that taste good,” Yaellie Deroca, a second year international business major, said.
Deroca, who drinks boba often, said she would continue to drink boba regardless of what the article says.
“To me, boba is annoyingly, chewy and bland,” Justin Yu, a senior finance major, said.
He understands why boba keeps getting more popular, despite the fact that it is bad for the body. “People love to pay for overpriced drinks while killing themselves in the process,” Yu said.
Yu said he would not continue to drink boba now that he knows that it may cause cancer.
“I’ve always had boba as a kid growing up in the Philippines,” Deroca said. “I knew it as ‘sago’ back then. Then, when I came here to the U.S., I found out it was called boba. So boba is not foreign to me.”
Deroca said she would still recommend boba to her friends if they would like to explore new things.
“In my opinion, boba itself is not that popular,” Deroca said. “It’s usually the drink that comes with boba that is popular. I think it is because there are so many different types of drinks that boba can be added to, it has become more popular.”
Even though boba is a fattening, unhealthy drink, it still does not stop the students at CSULB from going to local boba shops to purchase this ultimate favorite add on.
Thao Lai, a nursing master’s degree student, shared that she would feel safer consuming the tapioca balls as long as they were tested.
“If the boba shop has proof that its supply does not contain toxic, I will feel safer drinking the boba there,” Lai said. “I love drinking boba, but I only get boba from big, well-known shops. I do not trust the pearls in those Chinese fast food restaurants.”
Overall, this study might create a problem for many boba companies, but students must stop consuming it, or at least know what they are getting into.
Khoa Lai is a junior journalism major with an emphasis in public relations.
