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posted by mrpg on Monday April 16 2018, @11:00PM   Printer-friendly
from the precedence:bulk dept.

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.


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  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday April 17 2018, @01:22AM (9 children)

    by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Tuesday April 17 2018, @01:22AM (#667883) Journal

    I used to use some 200 mg caffeine tablets which weren't microscopic and didn't kill you (maybe if you took 10+ at once?). So either they contained a lot of filler or you are exaggerating about a "granule" being lethal.

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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by EvilSS on Tuesday April 17 2018, @01:54AM

    by EvilSS (1456) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday April 17 2018, @01:54AM (#667898)
    They contain a lot of filler and binder. That said, a "granule" of pure caffeine won't kill you. Still though, caffeine can kill you and in pure, powered form most people are too stupid to realize how much is too much. Takes about a tablespoon full for most adults.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 17 2018, @11:46AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 17 2018, @11:46AM (#667993)

    Indeed, much filler. I assume you are talking about Jet Alert or a similar 200mg caffeine pill (I take these). Pills like this are much safer than pure caffeine powder if for nothing more than consistent dosage. It is indeed easy to overdose on pure powder or concentrated liquid, but I'm torn on if this means it should be banned.

    Anyway, I can say from the 200mg pills if I take 3+ at a time I start to feel dizzy, nauseous, and actually groggy/sleepy. I've started to limit myself to no more than 1 at a time and no more than 3 a day.

  • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday April 17 2018, @02:26PM (4 children)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday April 17 2018, @02:26PM (#668092) Journal

    200 mg caffeine seems like a lot to me. That's over twice as much as I drink in a day. 2 cans of Diet Coke, each 46 mg. (Except on Fridays, 3 or 4 cans.)

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  • (Score: 2) by stretch611 on Tuesday April 17 2018, @05:35PM (1 child)

    by stretch611 (6199) on Tuesday April 17 2018, @05:35PM (#668195)

    Well, Math would say 5 pills can cause irregular heartbeats and 50 would provide the required 10g of caffeine on the low end of the life threatening dosage.

    Of course metric measurements are so difficult that the idea that it would take 5 - 200mg pills to equal 1 gram is so hard to determine if my calculations are correct. /s

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