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The Plague of Frogs

Posted by michael on from the gnats-hail-and-locusts-coming-soon dept.

jpbostic writes "According to this article on MSNBC, ag folks in Hawaii were considering using powdered caffeine to help rid themselves of an infestation of frogs from Puerto Rico. The EPA's application regulations apparently proved too burdensome and the stuff sits in a warehouse. If the EPA is really concerned with the danger, they should investigate the coffee in some restaurants *quoth the caffeine addict*. :-)"

2 of 241 comments (clear)

  1. Photos by loconet · · Score: 3, Informative

    This page has some photos and more information about the frogs. They're very small!!

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    [alk]
  2. Caffeine toxicity - material safety data by Seth+Finkelstein · · Score: 3, Informative
    The Material Safety Data Sheet for Caffeine has a lot of good information

    Caffeine is toxic to the blood, lungs, nervous system, and mucous membranes. It is a human poison by ingestion and is a slight irritant of the skin and eye. The oral LD50 for caffeine is 127 mg/kg (mouse); the oral TD Lo for man is reported as 13 mg/kg.

    Signs/Symptoms of Overexposure:
    Exposure to ingested caffeine can cause convulsions, muscle spasms, tremors, poor muscle coordination, vomiting, and blood pressure increase. Continued excessive use in tea or coffee may lead to digestive disturbances, constipation, palpitations, shortness of breath, cardiac disorders, and depressed mental states.

    Apparently, you'd have to drink a lot of coffee to get a lethal dose. But it does seem to possible to kill yourself (or approach it) with caffeine pills.

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