Is decaffeinated coffee bad for you?

Coffee is an important part of many people’s morning routine.

But drinking a cup of coffee may have adverse effects. An 8-ounce cup of coffee may contain 80 to 100 milligrams of caffeine, which can also cause nervousness, anxiety and trouble sleeping.

“For some people, it’s, ‘I want to be able to have coffee in the afternoon because I really like the taste of it, but I don’t want to be up all night,'” said Eric Brenner, assistant director of the Coffee Research and Education Center at Texas A&M University.

Decaffeinated coffee is an alternative that typically has at least 97% of the caffeine removed. But some health advocacy groups have expressed concern about a chemical used in the decaffeination process that may increase the risk of certain cancers.

There are many ways to make decaffeinated coffee, but two common methods use the chemicals methylene chloride or ethyl acetate to extract and dissolve the caffeine from the beans.

One approach is to expose the beans to the chemicals directly: Unroasted green coffee beans are first steamed to swell and open up their pores, said Tonya Kuhl, chair of the chemical engineering department at the University of California, Davis.

The beans are then rinsed in methylene chloride or ethyl acetate to remove the caffeine, Kuhl said. The beans are then steamed again and washed to remove any remaining chemicals before being roasted, Brenner said.

Are the chemicals used to remove caffeine dangerous? Experts say no, at least not as much as you’d be exposed to from decaffeinated coffee.

However, people exposed to higher concentrations of chemicals such as methylene chloride have an increased risk of liver and lung cancer, as well as damage to the central nervous system.

In April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned most uses of methylene chloride. The chemical is used to decaffeinate coffee; food and beverages are primarily regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which limits methylene chloride levels to no more than 0.001% in decaffeinated coffee.

This means it’s nearly impossible to drink enough decaf coffee to be exposed to dangerous levels of methylene chloride, Kuhl said.

Ethyl acetate, another chemical used to decaffeinate, is also not a cause for concern, Brenner said. It occurs naturally in kiwis and guavas and is used in products such as nail polish and printing inks. But there is no evidence that it increases cancer risk.

However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says ethyl acetate may irritate the eyes, skin or throat through inhalation, ingestion or skin contact. Still, experts say the chemical in coffee poses no health risk.

After the beans are decaffeinated, some chemicals may remain, Kuhl said, but they are almost all evaporated after the beans are roasted: Coffee beans are typically roasted at temperatures between 356 and 464 degrees Fahrenheit, and the boiling points of methylene chloride and ethyl acetate are about 104 to 171 degrees Fahrenheit.

“I don’t think there’s any health risk from drinking decaffeinated coffee,” Kuhl said.

If you’re still concerned about chemicals remaining in your coffee, there are other options, Brenner says. Some brands decaffeinate using the Swiss water process, which uses water to remove caffeine from coffee beans.

Companies use the process as a selling point because it contains non-toxic ingredients, Brenner said, adding that decaffeinated coffee is “absolutely safe” no matter how it is prepared.

To tell if the beans have been decaffeinated this way, look at the bag. It may say “Water Processed,” “Swiss Water Decaffeinated,” or “Swiss Water Decaffeinated” on it.

Or you can check the brand or company’s website. “It’s not some big secret,” Brenner said. “All this information is out there.” — The New York Times