Copied from news accounts found on the internet:
An inquest into the September 2008 death of Chloe Leach revealed Monday that the 21-year-old had consumed around four cans of the caffeine-loaded drink along with several VKs – a vodka-based drink that also contains caffeine – before suddenly collapsing around 3 a.m. on a dance floor in the England city of Hull.
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A 21-year-old died last year, collapsing on a British nightclub’s dance floor. There are a few things to consider in her untimely demise.
- She had consumed roughly four cans of Red Bull.
check Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_drink
By Jason Braud of Green B Trimble Tech High School
Recently I watched E:60 and they had a great piece about energy drinks. The link is:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/e60/news/story?id=5726418 , I hope you take a minute to watch it. You might have to copy and paste the link to be able to watch the video. It has gone as far as the state of Virginia banning sports drinks in all their high schools. Please take a few minutes to watch this, and ask yourself why all the companies would not respond for request for interviews.
Here is the actual article without the video:
WESTON, Fla. — Jack Owoc likes to say of his company, "The wheel of innovation never stops," but the same is true of his industry. And in the middle of a sleepy business plaza on the outskirts of Fort Lauderdale, inside a small room that’s been turned into a lab, he is about to show how easy it is to make a performance-enhancing drug supplement.
The well-muscled CEO of VPX/Redline wears designer jeans and an untucked turquoise shirt, more casual dress than the white-coated techies who buzz around him. But he knows the drill, so he thrusts a tiny metal spoon into a white plastic jar filled to the rim with a chalky substance that looks like it could be baking soda, or cocaine.
"This is caffeine, from China," he says.
He taps the spoon so that a small chunk falls into a disposable tray on the table. That’s the amount of caffeine, 35 milligrams, to be found in a 12-ounce can of Coke. Twice that amount is all the government allows any cola-like soda to contain, for health reasons.
His energy drink, Redline? Owoc presents a tray with 250 milligrams, for the 8-ounce bottle. The powder fills up the bottom of the tray, and has some stack to it.
And what about the most potent product on the market? He digs into the jar once, twice, three times, then says, "you’re looking at that amount." Five hundred milligrams, the caffeine content in a 1-ounce bottle of 5150 Juice, which is so concentrated that it comes with a syringe and FAQ advice to dilute the liquid with water, milk or beer.
So what would prevent some wily entrepreneur from dumping more into an energy drink, in an attempt to gain a share in what has become a booming industry?
"No one would stop them," Owoc says. "It’s kind of self-governing with the law."
The exercise with Owoc helps explain how the energy drink market has gone from zero to $7 billion in sales in little more than a decade. The ability to heap as much caffeine in a cold beverage as a manufacturer desires, and not play by the rules of sodas, has made the drinks popular, particularly among teen athletes looking for a boost.
Caldwell Crier 