Ask Well
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I
enjoy coffee but dislike how caffeine makes me feel, I drink
decaffeinated coffee. Are there any health risk?
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Coffee is a key component of many
people's morning routine.
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But having a cup can bring
unwelcome effects. An eight-ounce brew can contain between 80 and 100
milligrams of caffeine, which can also cause jitters, anxiety and trouble
falling asleep.
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"For some people it's, 'I
want to be able to drink coffee in the afternoon because I really like the
taste, but I don't want to be up all night." said Eric Brenner, the
assistant director of the Center for Coffee Research and Education at Texas
A&M University.
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Decaffeinated coffee, generally
stripped of at least 97 percent of its caffeine, is an alternative. But some
health advocacy organizations have raised concerns about a chemical used in the
decaffeination process because it may raise the risk of some cancers.
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There are several ways to make
decaffeinated coffee, but two common methods use the chemicals methylene
chloride or ethyl acetate to extract and dissolve caffeine from coffee beans.
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One method puts coffee beans in
direct contact with the chemicals. It begins with steaming green, unroasted
coffee beans to make them swell and open their pores, said Tanya Kuhl, the
chair of the chemical engineering department at the University of California,
Davis.
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Then, the beans are rinsed in
methylene chloride or ethyl acetate to remove their caffeine, Dr. Kuhl said.
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The beans are then steamed again
and washed to remove residual chemicals, Mr. Brenner said, and then they're
roasted.
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Are the chemicals used to
decaffeinate coffee dangerous? Experts say no, at least not in the amount
you're exposed to from decaffeinated coffee.
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However, people who are ex-posed
to chemicals like methylene chloride at higher levels could have an increased
risk of liver and lung cancer and damage to the central nervous system.
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In April, the Environmental
Protection Agency prohibited most uses of methylene chloride. The chemical can
be used to decaffeinate coffee; foods and beverages are primarily regulated by
the Food and Drug Administration, which has determined that decaffeinated
coffee should not contain more than 0.001 percent of the chemical.
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That means that it would be
practically impossible to drink enough decaffeinated coffee to be exposed to
dangerous levels of methylene chloride, Dr. Kuhl said.
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Ethyl acetate, the other chemical
used to decaffeinate coffee, also doesn't warrant much concern, Mr. Brenner
said. It naturally occurs in kiwi and guava, and is used in products like nail
polish and printing ink. But there's no evidence that it can increase the risk
of cancer.
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Exposure to ethyl acetate through
inhalation, ingestion or skin contact, however, may irritate the eyes, the skin
or the throat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nevertheless, the chemical doesn't pose a health threat in coffee, experts
said.
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Once coffee beans are
decaffeinated, there may be traces of chemicals left over, Dr. Kuhl said. But
after the beans are roasted, the chemicals evaporate almost entirely: Coffee
beans are typically roasted at temperatures ranging from 356 to 464 degrees Fahrenheit,
and methylene chloride and ethyl acetate boil at around 104 and 171 degrees
Fahrenheit.
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"There's no health hazard,
in my opinion, associated with drinking decaffeinated coffee," Dr. Kuhl
said.
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If residual chemicals in your
coffee still worry you, there are alternatives, Mr. Brenner said. Some brands
decaffeinate coffee using the Swiss Water Process, which uses water to remove
caffeine from coffee beans.
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Companies use the process as a
selling point because it involves nontoxic ingredients, Mr. Brenner said,
adding that decaffeinated coffee is "perfectly safe" regard-less of
how it was made.
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To see if coffee beans were
decaffeinated this way, look at the bag. It might be stamped with language such
as "Water Process," "Swiss Water decaf" or "Swiss
Water decaffeinated."
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Or you can check the brand or
company website. "It's not a big secret," Mr. Brenner said. "All
this information is out there."
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Katie Mogg
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