Pure caffeine has come under scrutiny again as six Senators ask the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the product.
Caffeine in its pure form is so strong that a tablespoon of it can be fatal. A teaspoon equals around 28 cups of coffee and can cause nausea, vomiting, anxiety, and heart palpitations, according to FDA.
Six democratic Senators, including Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Sherrod Brown of Ohio, sent a letter to the FDA on April 26 asking the agency to ban pure caffeine sold for personal use.
“The FDA must do more to protect unsuspecting consumers from this dangerous and deadly substance–and that means ending the retail sale and marketing of pure caffeine,” Blumenthal said.
In 2014, two people died of a pure caffeine overdose, prompting the FDA to issue a consumer advisory. In September 2015, the FDA sent warning letters to five companies that were selling pure caffeine and all have since stopped selling the bulk product, according to ABC.
But some online retailers still sell it. Last month the FDA sent a warning letter to another seller, whose website is now not functioning.
The products named by the FDA recommend a dosage of 1/32 to 1/14 of a teaspoon. But people usually don’t have proper measures for such tiny quantities, the agency noted.
“The difference between a safe amount and a toxic dose of caffeine in these pure powdered products is very small,” FDA stated.
