An Australian father is issuing a warning after his son tragically died from a caffeine overdose.
The father, Nigel Foote, wrote on Facebook that his son, 21-year-old Lachlan, passed away after consuming a protein shake:
It turns out that Lachlan came home after celebrating New Year’s Eve with his friends and made a protein shake, innocently adding too much Pure Caffeine Powder – a teaspoon is lethal (the equivalent of 25-50 coffees).
The Foote family: Dawn, Martin, Nigel and Lachlan on Sunday 29th October 2017 (photo by Melissa Thornthwaite)
Posted by Nigel Foote on Saturday, June 30, 2018
After consuming the beverage, Lachlan wrote to a friend on Facebook that his protein shake tasted “off.” The father shared the exchange in his post:
MONDAY AT 2:07 AM (1-1-18)
Lachlan: “i think my protein powder has gone off. Just made an anti hangover / workout shake and it tasted awful”Friend: “how”
Lachlan: “dunno, was kinda bitter though… anyway night lads”
MONDAY AT 2:14 AM
Lachlan: “cya in the morning”
The 21-year-old was discovered dead in the morning, his father said.
This week, the father revealed that his son died from a caffeine overdose. He wrote:
Dawn and I have finally received the Coroner’s findings regarding Lachlan – he died of ‘caffeine toxicity’ (not from a dodgy batch of protein powder as we had first thought). There was nothing else in his system except a small amount of alcohol (.043).
Foote said that he decided to speak out about his son’s death “because there’s a possibility it might save someone’s life.”
He’s concerned that most people are unaware of the potential dangers of caffeine powder, which is readily available in Australia.
The mourning father wrote:
It’s just insane that something so dangerous is so readily available. Please warn your friends, talk to your children… and perhaps check your kitchen cupboards…pure caffeine powder looks just like any other white powder… but a heaped teaspoon of it will kill you.
To Lachlan’s friends and the Blue Mountains community:While I don’t wish to keep raising the subject of Lachlan’s…
Posted by Nigel Foote on Saturday, July 6, 2019
Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration placed bans on some pure or highly concentrated caffeine, CNBC reported.
At least two people in the United States died from caffeine overdose in recent years, which prompted the ban.