Fatal risks of drinking decaffeinated coffee revealed

The chemical is methylene chloride, a colorless liquid that is used in certain industrial processes, “including paint removal, pharmaceutical manufacturing, paint stripper manufacturing, and metal cleaning and degreasing,” according to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

As CNN notes, methylene chloride has long been known to be a carcinogen, recognized as such by the National Toxicology Program of the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization, said Dr. Maria Doa, senior director of chemical policy at the Environmental Defense Fund, one of the five groups and the individuals behind two food and color additive petitions submitted to the Food and Drug Administration in November.

The FDA added the petitions to its docket for review on December 21 and accepted public comments on the notice of filing until March 11.

“In addition to being carcinogenic, methylene chloride can cause other health harms such as liver toxicity and, at higher doses, neurological effects and in some cases death,” Dr Doa added. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these risks are associated with acute external exposure to high concentrations of the chemical or ingestion of the chemical itself.

The chemical’s toxicity prompted the Environmental Protection Agency to ban its sale as a paint remover in 2019; in 2023, the agency proposed banning its sale for other consumer uses and many industrial and commercial uses, Maria Doa reports. But food products are regulated by the FDA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. (The California State Legislature, which has one of the largest economies in the world and often influences the rest of the country, recently introduced a bill aimed at banning the use of methylene chloride in the decaf manufacturing process.)

The Environmental Defense Fund and its co-authors argue that by allowing the use of methylene chloride in food, the FDA “ignored” a 66-year-old addition to federal law called the Delaney Clause, which requires the FDA to ban food additives that , have been proven to cause cancer when ingested by humans or animals.

“Thus, these chemicals absolutely cannot and should not be considered safe,” states Dr. Doa.

The FDA said it is currently reviewing the petitions but does not comment on them while they are pending, an FDA spokesperson said in a statement.

Here’s what experts and the Food and Drug Administration have to say about this issue in today’s context, and what you should know about the safety of decaffeinated coffee.

The FDA has a regulation allowing the use of methylene chloride as a solvent for decaffeinated coffee, which states that “the content of methylene chloride shall not exceed 10 parts per million (0.001%) in roasted decaffeinated coffee and in soluble decaffeinated coffee extract (instant coffee )”.

“Although methylene chloride may be used indirectly in the food industry, such as in the production of decaffeinated coffee beans, residue limits have been established to limit exposure,” an FDA spokesperson said. “Any food product containing methylene chloride content exceeding the established standards is prohibited for sale or consumption.”

National Coffee Association President and CEO William Murray said the ban on European Method decaf coffee, which uses methylene chloride, “contradicts science and is harmful to the health of Americans.”

“There is no evidence that European method decaf coffee poses any risk,” he added by email. “Indeed, an overwhelming body of independent scientific evidence shows that drinking European decaf coffee, like all other coffee, is associated with a reduced risk of multiple cancers and other significant health benefits.”

But the FDA’s latest decision to use the chemical in coffee “was made decades ago and is clearly out of date,” the US Department of Health said.

According to Monique Richard, registered dietitian and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight, a private practice in Tennessee, many people these days are consuming larger quantities of beverages or foods than was common decades ago. While at one point the standard cup of coffee was 5 or 8 ounces, she noted that today the smallest size at your local coffee shop is likely 12 ounces.

“But there still isn’t a lot of clear or conclusive research to show that drinking residual amounts of coffee can cause cancer or other problems,” says Monique Richard.

Research continues into what the human body can cope with under toxic load. Researchers are increasingly learning about genetic predisposition and gene expression, which can provide information about which cells can withstand an organism’s attack. “So maybe it’s not what’s actually in your coffee, but what other factors are affecting your body?” – Richard emphasizes. “Even a small amount can have significant damaging effects at the cellular level over time,” she added.

Methylene chloride has long been widely used in the production of decaffeinated coffee, but some companies have added alternative methods to their arsenal or stopped using it entirely.

For example, a well-known coffee chain has three methods of decaffeination: a natural decaffeination process in which liquid carbon dioxide is forced into stainless steel tanks under high pressure, drawing out and dissolving the caffeine. Additionally, there is a Swiss water process that de-caffeines the beans by soaking them in warm water. This warm water is flavored with beans and then passed through an activated carbon filter that traps caffeine molecules. The beans are then soaked in this water to restore their flavor.

The most commonly used method is direct contact, which uses a solvent that, along with other liquids used, eventually evaporates when the beans are steamed, rinsed, and roasted at temperatures over 400 degrees Fahrenheit (204 degrees Celsius).