• A popular beverage that represents a daily staple for around 26 million Americans may threaten public health.

Millions of Americans enjoy a cup of good coffee, including those who opt for decaffeinated versions from time to time. Estimates suggest that over 26 million Americans prefer decaffeinated coffee, either due to caffeine sensitivities affecting many or simply because they enjoy the taste of coffee but prefer not to have the extra energy boost at least once a day, according to The Street.

Coffee beans naturally contain caffeine, and some may imagine that decaffeination occurs naturally, perhaps by roasting the coffee for an extended period or simply by selecting beans with lower caffeine content. However, in reality, the decaffeination process, like many modern foods, requires significant processing, involving treating the beans with chemical solvents, with methylene chloride being chief among them.

Methylene chloride, a “colorless volatile liquid with a chloroform-like odor,” is considered by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration to be less safe, even in small amounts.

Methylene chloride finds use in various industrial processes across different industries, including pharmaceutical manufacturing, paint strippers, metal cleaning, and degreasing.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration considers methylene chloride a potential carcinogen, meaning it could be linked to cancer. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made decisions to allow extremely small amounts of methylene chloride since January 2024, while the Environmental Protection Agency has recently banned its use in most applications.

The FDA allows for a minimal residue, not exceeding 10 parts per million (equivalent to 0.001%) of methylene chloride on coffee beans for consumption. Thus, the FDA earlier in 2024 filed a petition requesting the removal of some potentially harmful chemicals, including methylene chloride, benzene, dichloroethylene, and trichloroethylene, from foods and beverages.

Other methods exist for decaffeinating some types of coffee, including the so-called Swiss Water method, which involves soaking green coffee beans in water, allowing caffeine to naturally leach out over several hours.

Experts advise consumers of decaffeinated coffee who are concerned about exposure to methylene chloride to consult various nonprofit organizations that test beverages for potentially harmful chemicals to ensure they are free from methylene chloride or any other harmful substances.