The FDA is investigating whether a chemical used to make most decaffeinated coffee in the United States should be banned.
Methylene chloride binds to and extracts caffeine beans and is used in major chains such as Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts.
But activists say the fact that the chemical has been linked to cancer in rats makes it illegal, pointing to a little-known 1958 rule banning food additives that animal studies show could cause cancer.
The FDA is currently considering a petition from Environmental Defense Fund activists to ban decaffeinated coffee made with methylene chloride, and a response is expected within months.
It could leave the 10 million decaffeinated coffee consumers in the United States without access to the beverage or its purported benefits, including benefits for heart health and longevity.
The United States could face a shortage of decaffeinated coffee (file photo)
The 1958 law, known as the Delaney Clause, states that “no additive shall be considered safe if it is found to induce cancer when ingested by man or animal.”
Activists successfully used the rule in 2018 to call for a ban on seven artificial food flavorings commonly used in ice cream and candy, such as pulegone, which was used to imitate the flavor of mint.
Now they hope to do the same with methylene chloride. The chemical is found in decaffeinated beans in small amounts, and most is removed after decaffeination or destroyed when the beans are roasted.
Toxicologists say the amount is so small that the boiling water to which the beans are added probably contains more of the chemical.
But studies have previously linked the chemical to cancers detected in both humans and animals, albeit at higher doses.
The graphic above shows how decaffeinated coffee is brewed using the European method, the most common method of brewing decaffeinated coffee. Tests show that traces of methylene chloride remain in coffees even after treatment.
This includes a study in mice, where rodents developed tumors in their lungs and liver after being exposed to methylene chloride in the air.
And a 2013 meta-analysis in humans involving more than 3,000 adults found that participants exposed to the chemical had an increased risk of multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.
Activists say this is enough evidence based on the law to force the method to be banned in the United States.
This worked in 2018, when the agency agreed to the ban based on the law despite saying it had “reasonable certainty that the substances do not cause harm under the conditions of intended use.”
The petition is now closed to public comment and a response from the FDA is expected within 90 days.
As part of the process, the FDA will review the data in the petition to make sure it agrees with the findings.
If so, it could then modify its regulations to no longer allow the use of methylene chloride in the manufacture of decaf.
In 2018, when the agency banned seven food additives following a petition, manufacturers had 24 months to update their recipes.
The FDA said at the time: “Although we are modifying our food additive regulations for these synthetic flavoring substances in accordance with the Delaney Clause, the FDA’s rigorous scientific analysis has determined that they do not pose a risk to public health under the conditions of its intended use.’
“The synthetic flavoring substances subject of this petition are typically used in foods available on the US market in very small quantities and their use results in very low levels of exposure and low risk.”
There are alternative methods for decaffeinating coffee, including steam washing the beans, called the Swiss method.
But manufacturers insist that this process is much more expensive and less effective than the method the chemist uses, called the European method.
Bill Murray, president of the National Coffee Association, told DailyMail.com: ‘Decaf would certainly be in short supply if unfounded bans were pushed at federal and state level.
‘Most decaf is made using the European method (using methyl chloride) and has been made that way for over 50 years.
“Indeed, unjustified bans would deprive decaffeinated coffee drinkers of the important health benefits that evidence suggests are associated with coffee consumption, including the European decaffeinated method.”
Several studies have linked exposure to the chemical in rodents with cancer, and articles dating back to 1986 show exposure to methylene chloride in the air caused tumors in the lungs and liver.
The EPA said in 2016 Animal studies have also shown increases in breast tumors after inhalation of the chemical.
An additional evaluation by the agency in 2022 said the chemical could cause nervous system and developmental problems.
There have also been studies in humans linking the chemical to cancer.
TO meta-analysis published in 2013 A study involving more than 3,000 adults found that participants had an increased risk of multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, after exposure to the chemical.
The participants were adults who made camera films, which contain the chemical, and were regularly exposed to between 20 and 40 ppm by breathing contaminated air.
A seperation meta-analysis published in 2011 It also pointed to a potential link between the chemical and brain, breast and liver cancer.
California is also considering its own ban on decaffeinated coffee made with methylene chloride.
The EPA has also previously banned the use of this chemical in paint strippers, due to concerns about its health effects.
It comes after California also became the first US state to ban four chemicals from candy linked to cancer and hyperactivity in cancer.
The move has set off a chain reaction, and other states, including Illinois and Pennsylvania, are considering a similar measure.
The FDA has also announced that it will consider banning brominated vegetable oil, included in the California law, amid concerns about its impact on people’s health.
DailyMail.com has approached the FDA for comment.