Thomas Mansfield's Tragic Caffeine Overdose

In March 2022, it was revealed that Tom Mansfield, a 29-year-old personal trainer, died from a coffee overdose in 2021. Mansfield died after accidentally ingesting an excessive amount of caffeine powder, equivalent to approximately 200 cups of coffee.

He inadvertently swallowed a caffeine powder concoction that was equivalent to drinking 200 cups of coffee. This tragic occurrence occurred at his house in Colwyn Bay, North Wales.

Thomas Mansfield has placed an order for a 100g package of caffeine powder to manufacture supplement drinks. He mistakenly generated a mixture containing seven times the normal quantity of caffeine when utilizing the packet. After consuming this mixture, he began to experience considerable pain, grasping his chest in misery.

Sadly, Thomas Mansfield had 392mg of caffeine per liter of blood, which is comparable to up to 200 cups of coffee. Caffeine levels of 78mg per liter of blood or higher can be deadly, according to an autopsy, and he had nearly five times this lethal quantity. His death was considered a "misadventure" by the coroner, who blamed it on coffee intoxication.

The Fatal Mistake

A Deadly Miscalculation

Mansfield scooped up to 5g of caffeine powder by accident due to a lack of a measuring scoop and an unlucky miscalculation. He intended to go for the middle of the approved dose range, but as the coroner wrote, "he got his math wrong."

Mr. Mansfield purchased the caffeine powder from a business named Blackburn Distributions. The powder was intended to be consumed in doses ranging from 60 to 300mg twice daily. Mr. Mansfield's digital scale, on the other hand, had a starting weight of 2g, resulting in a considerable overdose. Suzannah Mansfield, his wife, noticed him foaming at the mouth immediately after eating the combination and sought emergency assistance.

Because of Mr. Mansfield's extremely irregular heart condition,, even family members gathered and his family helped him reach hospital. Despite their attempts, he was transferred to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd Hospital but died on January 5, the following year, at 4 p.m.

A post-mortem analysis indicated that Mansfield had caffeine levels in his blood of 392mg per liter, which is far higher than the 2 to 4mg per liter generally generated by a cup of coffee. Caffeine intoxication was assigned as Mansfield's cause of death as a result of this overdose.

Lessons Learned

Following the tragedy, friends rallied to help Mr. Mansfield's family, which included his wife and children Tommy and Millie. As a result of the event, the supplement firm provided a measuring scoop and an A4 instruction leaflet.  According to the inquiry, the directions and cautions on the packet were not in breach of rules at the time.

Heartfelt grief

Suzannah shared her tremendous sadness on social media, characterizing her late spouse as her entire existence and declaring that she would never recover from this loss. She said that her husband was a “really healthy” person. She explained that he had initially only taken a sip of his drink before he drank the rest of it and the fatal side effects reared their head.

She said:

“He was my whole life. I’ll never get over this,”

“I’m missing you so much and trying so hard for the kids [to] keep it together,”

She wrote on her social media pages.

“I love you more than I could love anyone, I’ll always love you.”

Company's Response

A statement read during the investigation by business director Ben Blackburn emphasized that the powder, which is intended to enhance energy levels, should always be measured precisely to two decimal places in milligrams. Blackburn further stated that the suggested dose was 60 to 300 milligrams taken once or twice a day.

Gittins was relieved to learn that Blackburn Distributions now included measuring scoops with their powders. In addition, the business promised to give more specific instructions and explicitly emphasize any negative effects on their package.

Could a Scoop Have Saved Him?

The coroner said that if Thomas Mansfield had been provided with a measuring scoop, he might still be alive today. Blackburn Distributions has since started including a scoop with their caffeine powder products, reassuringly noted by the coroner.

The tragic incident marked a sobering reminder of the possible dangers linked to the misuse of supplements and the importance of proper measuring and dosage.

References

1. King, C. (2022) Personal trainer dies from caffeine overdose equaling 200 cups of coffee, reports say, KSAT. KSAT San Antonio. Available at: https://www.ksat.com/news/2022/03/06/personal-trainer-dies-from-caffeine-overdose-equaling-200-cups-of-coffee-reports-say/ (Accessed: 9 November 2023).
2. MailOnline, J. R. for (2022) Personal trainer, 29, started ‘frothing at the mouth’ and died after accidentally making himself caffeine powder drink that was equivalent to 200 cups of coffee, inquest hears, Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers. Available at: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10565493/Personal-trainer-Thomas-Mansfield-died-overdosing-caffeine-powder-drink-inquest-hears.html (Accessed: 9 November 2023).
3. King, C. (2022) Personal trainer dies from caffeine overdose equaling 200 cups of coffee, reports say, KSAT. KSAT San Antonio. Available at: https://www.ksat.com/news/2022/03/06/personal-trainer-dies-from-caffeine-overdose-equaling-200-cups-of-coffee-reports-say/ (Accessed: 9 November 2023).
4. Zitser, J. (no date) Personal trainer dies from caffeine overdose after accidentally drinking the equivalent of 200 cups of coffee, reports say, Business Insider. Business Insider. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-trainer-dies-after-drinking-equivalent-of-200-cups-of-coffee-2022-3 (Accessed: 9 November 2023).
5. Chen, J. Q. A., Scheltens, P., Groot, C. and Ossenkoppele, R. (no date) Associations Between Caffeine Consumption, Cognitive Decline, and Dementia: A Systematic Review, Journal of Alzheimer’s disease : JAD. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7836063/ (Accessed: 9 November 2023).