AN inquest into the 2021 death of a personal trainer in Great Britain has found he overdosed on caffeine powder, taking the equivalent of 200 cups of coffee, the BBC reports.
The tragic incident was attributed to a basic error of measurement, with 29-year-old, Tom Mansfield, miscalculating the dose he needed to take to boost his athletic performance.
The coroner said Mansfield simply "got his maths wrong" after attempting to measure out a dose of between 60mg and 300mg on his scale which had a minimum measurement of 2g.
The product didn't come with a measuring scoop, and he used the digital kitchen scale to pour out about 5g of the powder which he mixed into a drink and downed in Jan last year, in an attempt to take the mid-range of the recommended dose.
The inquest heard he then complained about an accelerated heartbeat before clutching his chest and collapsing.
Despite extensive efforts, paramedics were unable to revive the young man, with a post-mortem examination showing he had caffeine levels of about 392mg per litre of blood - compared to a typical coffee which produces 2mg to 4mg of caffeine in the blood.
The product's manufacturer said it was now including scoops in the packaging, and had included more prominent warnings about the dangers of caffeine toxicity and other potential side effects.
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