Many people rely on coffee to kick-start their day and usually switch to decaf only when advised by their doctor, often due to pregnancy or health issues like high blood pressure that can be worsened by caffeine.
However, this switch could lead to unintended health issues, warn some environmental health groups. Methylene chloride, a chemical used in the European Method of decaffeination, has been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers, according to environmental health advocacy groups. These groups are currently petitioning the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the chemical’s use.
Jaclyn Bowen, the executive director of the Clean Label Project, said in a statement supporting the petition, “It should be concerning to everyone that pregnant women and those with health issues looking to cut back on caffeine are unknowingly sipping trace amounts of methylene chloride in their decaf coffee. FDA should prohibit methylene chloride, and companies should use safer available methods of decaffeination.”
Lab tests conducted by the Clean Label Project (CLP) in 2020 and 2022 found methylene chloride residue in seven out of 17 brands of decaf coffee, according to their statement.
In response, the National Coffee Association (NCA) emphasized that the levels of methylene chloride in those brands were very low. The FDA has established 10 parts per million as the safe limit, and the NCA noted that the detected levels in the tested samples were between 10 and 99.5 percent below this FDA threshold.
“Banning European Method decaf would defy science and harm Americans’ health. The overwhelming weight of independent scientific evidence shows that drinking European Method decaf is safe and furthermore that drinking European Method decaf, like all coffee, is associated with decreased risk of multiple cancers and other significant health benefits,” said NCA president and CEO Bill Murray in a statement.
Methylene Chloride, What Is It?
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), methylene chloride has long been utilized in industrial processes such as paint stripping, metal cleaning, degreasing, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The most common forms of exposure are inhalation and skin contact in the workplace, and OSHA classifies this chemical as a potential occupational carcinogen. Chronic exposure to methylene chloride “may be reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen based on adequate evidence in experimental animals,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Additionally, animal studies indicate that exposure to methylene chloride during pregnancy may adversely affect babies, as this chemical can cross the placenta to reach fetuses and has been detected in human breast milk. Despite most health risk evidence stemming from animal studies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has banned its use as a paint stripper and limited other industrial and consumer uses due to fatalities resulting from exposure.
However, under current FDA regulations, methylene chloride is still permitted in the production of decaffeinated coffee, provided that residue levels in the finished products remain below 10 parts per million.
Do You Need to Worry About Drinking Decaf?
According to Luz Claudio, PhD, a professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, most knowledge about the health effects of methylene chloride comes from observations of workers exposed to high doses through inhalation. Such exposures can be catastrophic, which is why the EPA has banned its use in many job types.
“There is less known about its potential toxicity when it is ingested in small doses in people,” Dr. Claudio says.
Dr. Claudio advises that due to the lack of benefits and the potential risks associated with consuming decaf made with methylene chloride, it is wise to avoid this chemical. One can do this by opting for organic decaf or selecting coffee decaffeinated using a water-based process that doesn’t involve methylene chloride.
Consumers should look for certified organic decaf at choose brands that use the “Swiss water process” or “CO2 process,” as these methods do not involve methylene chloride. Dr. Claudio emphasizes that limiting exposure is prudent, as there are no effective ways to remove methylene chloride once it has been ingested.
“I don’t know of any treatments after exposure,” Claudio says. “The best option is to avoid or reduce exposure altogether, especially in workers that tend to be exposed to high levels.”
‘It’s Not a Question of Decaf Coffee or No Decaf Coffee’
Maria Doa, PhD, senior director of chemicals policy at the Environmental Defense Fund, suggests that package labels for consumers brewing their own coffee should clearly indicate whether beans were decaffeinated using methods that do not involve methylene chloride.
“This is not a question of decaf coffee or no decaf coffee. Although the levels of methylene chloride may generally be minimal, it is completely unnecessary because safer processes for decaffeinating coffee are available and being used,” Dr. Doa says.
Ruthann Rudel, research director at the Silent Spring Institute, reassures that while it may be challenging to determine the presence of methylene chloride in decaf coffee served at restaurants, there is no immediate cause for alarm.
“The real exposure risk is for the workers who are exposed to methylene chloride on the job to make your decaffeinated coffee and for the people who live in the surrounding community who may also be exposed — not from drinking decaf,” Rudel says.
Rudel adds, “I would say you should still choose water-processed decaf if you can, but not panic if you had decaf that wasn’t processed this way. Instead you should ask yourself about all of the different things you might do to limit your exposure to toxic chemicals, which might include seeking out water processed or organic decaf but could also include using a glass or stainless cup to limit exposure to chemicals in plastics. You should think of all of your cumulative exposures and ways to reduce them.”
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