Powdered Caffeine: Here's Why It's So Dangerous

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a warning regarding five distributors of powdered caffeine due to misleading and potentially dangerous instructions on the label. The letter was released following the deaths of two otherwise healthy teenagers in 2014 after consuming caffeine supplements.

"While consumers of caffeinated products such as coffee, tea, and soda may be aware of caffeine's less serious effects -- such as nervousness and tremors -- they may not be aware that these pure powdered caffeine products are much more potent and can cause serious health effects," the agency wrote in a press release.

Powdered caffeine products are much stronger than beverages that contain just caffeine alone. Furthermore, they're dangerous as they are easy for people to consume lethal amounts of. For instance, just 1 teaspoon of caffeine powder is typically equivalent to 28 cups of regular coffee. And up to 2 teaspoons could even kill someone, according to Live Science. 

"Powdered caffeine is very concentrated," added Henry Spiller, director of Central Ohio Poison Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital, adding that because most people are so comfortable with the effects from coffee and soda, they don't realize how many milligrams they're taking in. 

While the amount of caffeine in a single teaspoon may vary depending on the product, it can contain as much as 5 grams, which is then about the equivalent of 50 to 75 cups of coffee. This can making knowing the exact amount of caffeine in some products rather difficult. 

The FDA noted the following regarding continued action on the subject: "The FDA will continue to aggressively monitor the marketplace for pure powdered caffeine products and take action as appropriate. If violations exist, the FDA can pursue enforcement action, such as seizure of the product or an injunction to prevent the firm from continuing to manufacture or market the product."

Symptoms of caffeine overdose may include rapid or dangerously erratic heartbeat, vomiting, diarrhea, stupor or even death.

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