LOS ANGELES — California coffee drinkers are in for a buzzkill after a local judge ruled that everyone must be made aware that their cup of joe could come with the big C.<br /><br />The New York Times reports that a lawsuit filed by the nonprofit Council for Education and Research on Toxics claims Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and other coffee companies failed to warn consumers about acrylamide, a possible carcinogen produced when coffee beans are roasted.<br /><br />According to CBS, previous studies have shown that animals given high levels of the chemical in drinking water developed multiple tumors, but research on the effects on humans are inconclusive.<br /><br />Experts say the amount of acrylamide ingested in coffee is small compared to eating french fries and potato chips, or smoking tobacco.<br /><br />Many studies have even found probable evidence that coffee consumption is associated with a decreased risk of cancer.<br /><br />But because coffee companies failed to show that acrylamide posed no risk or added any health benefits, the judge ruled that coffee sold in California must carry a cancer warning label.<br /><br />Medical experts say a blanket warning linking coffee to cancer could cause unnecessary panic among the general public, especially since there is not enough evidence to suggest that this is in fact the case.
