Proposed California bill would ban methylene chloride from being used to make decaf coffee [Video]

People who drink decaffeinated coffee may think they’re getting a healthier product than regular coffee, but health experts and consumer transparency advocates are warning a chemical used to remove the caffeine is a known carcinogen, and they’re supporting legislation to ban it.

The chemical in question is methylene chloride, a colorless liquid that federal regulators have already banned in certain manufacturing and industrial processes, but not in food or drinks.

Coffee companies use methylene chloride to remove caffeine, something that one California lawmaker says has to end.

“We are using a known carcinogen to decaffeinate coffee,” said California Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes, the author of Assembly Bill 2066, which would ban methylene chloride from all coffee products in the state.

“There are three ways of decaffeinating coffee, going through the process. This is the only one that uses a known carcinogen to decaffeinate it.”

The National Coffee Association says the …