Does Decaffeinated Coffee Cause Cancer?
Health consumer advocates have petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling for a ban on a key chemical used to remove caffeine from coffee beans.
Advocates argue that a nearly 66-year-old federal law mandates the agency to ban methylene chloride as it has been proven to cause cancer in rodents.
Methylene chloride, a long-banned paint stripper solvent, is used by nearly all major coffee companies in the United States. It acts as a solvent, binding to the caffeine in coffee beans and then can be removed.
Dr. Maria Dua from the Environmental Defense Fund told CNN that methylene chloride is known to be a carcinogen and has been classified as such by the National Toxicology Program of the National Institutes of Health, the EPA, and the WHO.
She added: “In addition to being a carcinogen, methylene chloride can cause other health problems such as liver toxicity and neurological effects when exposed at higher levels, and in some cases, death.”
Currently, the FDA allows the use of methylene chloride as a solvent in decaffeinated coffee if chemical residues do not exceed “10 parts per million (0.001%) in decaffeinated roasted coffee and in decaffeinated soluble coffee extract (instant coffee).”
According to CNN, the FDA is currently reviewing the petitions; a final decision on this issue could take several years.
