The short answer
Drinking beverages hotter than about 65°C (149°F) is classified as probably carcinogenic to the esophagus, likely from repeated heat injury. It is the temperature, not the drink, that matters. Letting drinks cool a few minutes removes the concern.
Very hot beverages is classified as a probable human carcinogen (IARC Group 2A).
People are mainly exposed by regularly drinking beverages hotter than about 65°C.
It is most strongly linked to esophageal cancer.
A carcinogen classification describes hazard — whether something can cause cancer — not your personal risk at a given exposure.
Choose how you want to understand this
The full explanation.
The simple version
It is not coffee or tea itself, but drinking anything very hot — above about 65°C (149°F) — that is linked to a higher risk of esophageal cancer. The likely reason is repeated heat damage to the lining of the throat. The easy fix is to let hot drinks cool for a few minutes.
What very hot beverages is
In 2016, IARC evaluated "very hot beverages" above 65°C and classified drinking them as probably carcinogenic (Group 2A). The same review reassuringly moved coffee itself to Group 3. The concern is the scalding temperature, common with traditional very hot tea or maté in some regions.
How people are exposed
Common ways people come into contact with it:
- Regularly drinking tea, coffee, or maté at scalding temperatures
- Cultural practices of drinking beverages very hot
- The risk is about temperature, not the type of drink
The cancer connection
Very hot beverages are linked to esophageal cancer, likely through repeated thermal injury to the esophagus.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer arm of the World Health Organization, places very hot beverages in Group 2A, probably carcinogenic to humans — meaning the evidence in people is limited but there is strong support from animal or mechanistic studies (evaluated in 2016).
Hazard is not the same as risk
It helps to separate two ideas that are easy to mix up: hazard and risk. When an agency lists very hot beverages as a carcinogen, it is making a statement about hazard — whether the substance is capable of causing cancer under some conditions. It is not, by itself, a statement about your personal risk, which depends on how much you are exposed to, for how long, and other factors. Two substances in the same group can carry very different real-world risks. The label answers "can it cause cancer?" — not "how likely is it to cause cancer for me?"
How to lower your exposure
- Let hot drinks cool for a few minutes before sipping
- Avoid gulping scalding beverages
- Note that coffee and tea themselves are not the concern — temperature is
If you are looking at your overall cancer risk, small, steady steps add up. See our overview of cancer prevention and what raises cancer risk to put any single exposure in context.
The bottom line
Very hot beverages is a probable human carcinogen (IARC Group 2A). The most important thing you can do is understand where exposure comes from and take reasonable steps to reduce it, without losing sleep over a single label. Focus your energy on the biggest, most controllable risks in your own life.
Words to know
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Common questions
▸Does very hot beverages cause cancer?
Probably. Very hot beverages is classified as a probable human carcinogen: the evidence in people is limited, but animal and laboratory studies support a link. "Probable" means suspected on solid grounds, not proven.
▸How are people exposed to very hot beverages?
Most exposure happens by regularly drinking beverages hotter than about 65°C.
▸Which cancers are linked to very hot beverages?
It is most strongly linked to esophageal cancer.
▸How can I reduce my exposure to very hot beverages?
The main steps are letting hot drinks cool before drinking them.
▸Does a carcinogen label mean I will get cancer?
No. A classification is about hazard — whether very hot beverages can cause cancer under some conditions — not a prediction that any one exposed person will develop cancer. Your actual risk depends on the amount and length of exposure and other factors.
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