Thursday, August 25, 2005
Is it true that one can safely drink only so many cups of coffee a day? I've never really tried to push the limits of caffeine intake but I wonder.
As a scientist who has spent a good deal of time in a lab, I see the warnings they put on bottles of caffeine [in molecular biology protocols, it's often used to stimulate the release of calcium ions from cells]. It's readily available via your standard catalog of lab supplies and chemicals and probably at your local apothocary (in the times when a popular soft drink still contained cocaine) on the shelf next to the tub of leeches.
From the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), that informative document that letsme know what's about to happen to me after I inevitably spill the chemical in question on my arm , we're informed that exposure to caffeine is harmful to our health:
WARNING! HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED OR INHALED. CAUSES IRRITATION TO SKIN, EYES AND RESPIRATORY TRACT. POSSIBLE BIRTH DEFECT HAZARD. Avoid contact with eyes, skin and clothing. Keep container closed. Use only with adequate ventilation. Wash thoroughly after handling.
Wait. Harmful if swallowed? What am I supposed to do, osmos it into my bloodstream?
It continues:
Wear impervious protective clothing, including boots, gloves, lab coat, apron or coveralls, as appropriate, to prevent skin contact. Eye Protection: Use chemical safety goggles and/or full face shield where dusting or splashing of solutions is possible. Maintain eye wash fountain and quick-drench facilities in work area.
Pardon?
Does this mean that on my next trip to Starbucks that they suggest I wear biosafety gear? Read on and it tell us:
Excessive use of caffeine may lead to digestive disturbances, constipation, palpitations, shortness of breath and depressed mental states.
Funny. All this time I thought my boss was the cause for all this. Surely he'll be relieved when I tell him that this is the reason I'm spending so much time on the crapper, hyperventilating into a paper bag and sobbing loudly.
Statistics from 2003 indicate that average sales per store for Starbucks were upwards of three-quarters of a million dollars and there are over 4500 locations throughout the U.S.. I wonder if that guy grunting in the stall next to me had the same thought as me this morning: How much is too much?
Oops. Gotta go. My coffee's getting cold....
As a scientist who has spent a good deal of time in a lab, I see the warnings they put on bottles of caffeine [in molecular biology protocols, it's often used to stimulate the release of calcium ions from cells]. It's readily available via your standard catalog of lab supplies and chemicals and probably at your local apothocary (in the times when a popular soft drink still contained cocaine) on the shelf next to the tub of leeches.
From the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), that informative document that letsme know what's about to happen to me after I inevitably spill the chemical in question on my arm , we're informed that exposure to caffeine is harmful to our health:
WARNING! HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED OR INHALED. CAUSES IRRITATION TO SKIN, EYES AND RESPIRATORY TRACT. POSSIBLE BIRTH DEFECT HAZARD. Avoid contact with eyes, skin and clothing. Keep container closed. Use only with adequate ventilation. Wash thoroughly after handling.
Wait. Harmful if swallowed? What am I supposed to do, osmos it into my bloodstream?
It continues:
Wear impervious protective clothing, including boots, gloves, lab coat, apron or coveralls, as appropriate, to prevent skin contact. Eye Protection: Use chemical safety goggles and/or full face shield where dusting or splashing of solutions is possible. Maintain eye wash fountain and quick-drench facilities in work area.
Pardon?
Does this mean that on my next trip to Starbucks that they suggest I wear biosafety gear? Read on and it tell us:
Excessive use of caffeine may lead to digestive disturbances, constipation, palpitations, shortness of breath and depressed mental states.
Funny. All this time I thought my boss was the cause for all this. Surely he'll be relieved when I tell him that this is the reason I'm spending so much time on the crapper, hyperventilating into a paper bag and sobbing loudly.
Statistics from 2003 indicate that average sales per store for Starbucks were upwards of three-quarters of a million dollars and there are over 4500 locations throughout the U.S.. I wonder if that guy grunting in the stall next to me had the same thought as me this morning: How much is too much?
Oops. Gotta go. My coffee's getting cold....
# posted by VonDeferen @ 8:52 AM 
