SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
FDA Bans Pure Bulk Caffeine Products, Citing "significant Public Health Concern"
Companies can no longer sell bulk packages of liquid or powdered caffeine directly to consumers, the Food and Drug Administration announced Friday. The policy will take immediate effect "given the significant public health concern," according to the agency's statement released Friday. "Highly concentrated and pure caffeine, often sold in bulk packages, have been linked to at least two deaths in otherwise healthy individuals," the agency stated.
[...] In small doses, if you're otherwise healthy, caffeine shouldn't kill you. But part of the issue is that highly concentrated caffeine looks nothing like the kinds of caffeinated products we're used to seeing. Instead, it can look like water if it's in a liquid form or sugar if it's powdered. "The consequences of a consumer mistakenly confusing one of these products could be toxic or even lethal," the agency stated.
[...] Between 10 and 14 grams of caffeine is considered life-threatening, according to the FDA's guidelines, though people can have an irregular or rapid heart rate and seizures after taking just a gram. The amount of concentrated caffeine that's considered safe at a time—200 milligrams—is very, very small.
Also at Bloomberg.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by LVDOVICVS on Monday April 16 2018, @11:22PM (9 children)
I've heard that one can consume enough water to result in death. Gasoline tastes terrible and is apparently lethal, too. And too much whisky can end in either a good time, or death, depending.
So let's get on it FDA; water, gas, and whiskey. Ban 'em!
Oh yeah, I've heard a very small dose of lead from an AR-15 can be fatal, too. What about that?
(Score: 4, Interesting) by bob_super on Tuesday April 17 2018, @12:16AM (2 children)
I am genuinely amazed that the states who want to kill people have so much trouble finding solutions, and end up terribly botching executions, when it's so easy to kill humans.
Just ask the criminal whether they prefer chocolate or strawberry cake, and slip a few caffeine pills. Done. Moderately messy, but a lot less than the nightmares with needles.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 17 2018, @03:06AM
From TFS:
That's more than a few pills. To make sure it's fatal, you want 50 grams or more. There are some pretty fat prisoners.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 17 2018, @01:48PM
i thought the republican party was against the nanny state that the democrats are always accused of ushering in?
maybe this is just to test the waters for other means of population control? opium seems to be a sedative and the legal prescriptions are pretty popular. Maybe someone wanted to make money off of a new speedball drug coming out to help counteract the drowsiness of addictive painkillers?
get addicted to sedatives and stimulants; it won't cure anything but it will make money for someone!
i mean look at that bitcoin guy that died at the rehab clinic. he had a monthly habit that was a retail price of $100k worth of oxycontin. Maybe all he needed was black death coffee!
anyway, may be soar with the red bulls, cause he died during treatment. i am guessing they told him he couldn't have any more and he didn't take it well. that or he learned there are some things money can't buy.
the problem is real tho. this remove two regulations for every new regulation doesnt seem to include fda actions.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday April 17 2018, @12:49AM (5 children)
There's the typical state park ban on weapons, pyrotechnics and alcoholic beverages; a.k.a. Firearms, Fireworks and Firewater. It's more about protecting other park guests and the wildlife than it is about protecting people from themselves.
Same goes for controlling access to rat poison, etc. - you really don't want easy access for the general public to lethal stuff that's easily slipped into a drink.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Informative) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday April 17 2018, @01:28AM (4 children)
So, no more selling most of the things under your kitchen sink then.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday April 17 2018, @04:15AM (3 children)
What, from under your kitchen sink, can fit in a tablet the size of a baby aspirin be potentially lethal and basically undetectable?
Sure, you can kill someone with Drano, bleach, ammonia, etc. individually or in combination, but A) if they're conscious they'll probably feel it coming, B) they may even recognize it for what it is, and C) poison control keeps tabs on accidental deaths from these otherwise commonly used and useful items.
Cynically: The 5 hour energy drink people think it's a bad idea for you to homebrew your own concoction, unsafe even, and they're only trying to save the children from themselves...
Realistically: I'm pretty glad that it's hard to get ahold of suicide grade cyanide, too.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday April 17 2018, @10:47AM (2 children)
If you put enough caffeine into a drink to kill someone, they're going to spit it out due to the horrible taste unless they're severely intoxicated or are looking for a Darwin Award. Caffeine does not taste good in multi-gram per beverage amounts.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday April 17 2018, @12:19PM (1 child)
Drop a gram of caffeine in 12oz of sweet tea...
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday April 17 2018, @12:29PM
A gram is not a lethal dose (that is in fact my average morning's intake) and you would most assuredly taste it. It would absolutely ruin the tea if it all went in one glass.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.