Few would suspect such deadly effects from caffeine, a chemical consumed daily by more than eight in 10 Americans in coffee, tea and other beverages.[6] But the caffeine in these beverages is so diluted that it is nearly impossible to get a lethal dose by drinking too much. For example, to get a lethal amount, an adult would have to drink 55 eight-ounce cups of Starbucks coffee, a mind-boggling volume.[7],[8]
Yet at high concentrations, caffeine quickly becomes deadly. Powdered pure caffeine, the product that devastated two families last summer, is highly lethal. Just one teaspoon of the product is enough to kill a child, and one tablespoon can kill an adult.[9]
The dose typically recommended on the packaging of powdered pure caffeine is 200 milligrams per serving.[10] To measure this tiny amount, customers must have a digital gram weight scale or a measuring spoon that is sized to one-sixteenth of a teaspoon.[11],[12] It is easy to become confused and add too much, which appears to be what happened to Stiner and Sweatt.