Caffeine inhaler creates a buzz in US
Source: Agencies |
February 9, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Move over, coffee and Red Bull. A Harvard professor thinks the next big thing will be people inhaling their caffeine from a lipstick-sized tube. Critics say the novel product is not without its risks.
The product, called AeroShot, went on sale late last month in Massachusetts and New York, and is also available in France. A single unit costs US$2.99 at convenience, mom-and-pop, liquor and online stores.
Biomedical engineering professor David Edwards said AeroShot is safe and does not contain common additives, such as taurine, used to amplify the caffeine effect in common energy drinks. Each canister contains 100 milligrams of caffeine powder - about the amount in a large cup of coffee - plus B vitamins.
But Democratic US Senator Charles Schumer of New York wants the US Food and Drug Administration to review AeroShot, as he fears it will be used as a club drug so that young people can drink until they drop.
Edwards said AeroShot is not targeting anyone under 18 and it safely delivers caffeine into the mouth, just like coffee.
"Anything new, there's always some knee-jerk reaction that makes us believe, 'Well, maybe it's not safe,'" he said.
Once a user shoots a puff of calorie-free AeroShot into his or her mouth, the powder begins dissolving almost instantly. Each single-use container has up to six puffs.
Dr Lisa Ganjhu, a gastroenterologist and internal medicine doctor at New York's St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, said people need to be aware of how much caffeine they are ingesting.
The product packaging warns users not to consume more than three AeroShots per day.
The product, called AeroShot, went on sale late last month in Massachusetts and New York, and is also available in France. A single unit costs US$2.99 at convenience, mom-and-pop, liquor and online stores.
Biomedical engineering professor David Edwards said AeroShot is safe and does not contain common additives, such as taurine, used to amplify the caffeine effect in common energy drinks. Each canister contains 100 milligrams of caffeine powder - about the amount in a large cup of coffee - plus B vitamins.
But Democratic US Senator Charles Schumer of New York wants the US Food and Drug Administration to review AeroShot, as he fears it will be used as a club drug so that young people can drink until they drop.
Edwards said AeroShot is not targeting anyone under 18 and it safely delivers caffeine into the mouth, just like coffee.
"Anything new, there's always some knee-jerk reaction that makes us believe, 'Well, maybe it's not safe,'" he said.
Once a user shoots a puff of calorie-free AeroShot into his or her mouth, the powder begins dissolving almost instantly. Each single-use container has up to six puffs.
Dr Lisa Ganjhu, a gastroenterologist and internal medicine doctor at New York's St Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, said people need to be aware of how much caffeine they are ingesting.
The product packaging warns users not to consume more than three AeroShots per day.
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