ALPHARETTA, Ga. — After a stern warning from federal regulators, four health supplement companies are taking pure caffeine powder off the market.
The family of an Alpharetta man who died after taking it says this is a victory
“Anybody who takes even a half teaspoon of this stuff could be a walking time bomb. You don't know how this drug is going to react to you,” said Georgia Poison Center Director Gaylord Lopez.
It’s unknown how much powdered caffeine Wade Sweatt, 24, of Alpharetta, took, but it was enough to kill him.
“It was senseless. He was the happiest we had ever seen him in his life. Newly married, had a great job, finished school,” his mother, Julie Sweatt, said.
Channel 2 Action News was there when his mom was among those meeting in December with the FDA seeking a ban on the powder she says killed her son.
“This stuff is poison. There ought to be a great big skull and crossbones on it,” Julie Sweatt said in the meeting.
This week the FDA issued warning letters to five distributors declaring pure powder caffeine is potentially lethal.
Even after those warnings, Sweatt’s family still has concerns about caffeine in other forms.
Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Jim Strickland bought 200 milligram caffeine pills from a health store Wednesday without any problem. Each one is equal to more than two cups of coffee.
The pills are precisely measured, but with the powder, officials say it’s easy to take too much.
“There's no question, this is incredibly dangerous stuff,” Lopez said.
Lopez says calls about caffeine exposure eight months into 2015 have already surpassed 2014.
Online, Strickland found four of the companies had pulled the product, but one, Pure Bulk of Oregon, was still selling. The website included a video on how to dispense the proper amount: 1/32 of a teaspoon.
Lopez says the potential for even accidental overdose is too great risk.
“This is the kind of stuff that can kill and be definitely off the market.
The warning letters give companies 15 days to respond to labeling and dosage concerns. A Pure Bulk spokesperson said they were formulating a response to FDA.
WSBTV
