Nickel in Coffee
March 9, 2009 -- Last week, Danish media reported that Swedish researchers
had measured the level of nickel in a number of coffee brands and that they concluded that the amount of
nickel is higher in cheaper coffee.
Two things are worth mentioning in this context: Firstly, that this research does not mean that the cheaper
coffee is unsafe for you, and secondly, that the reason why you will find nickel in coffee is that nickel is
a natural and essential nutrient in all plants – including coffee plants. We therefore consume nickel through
food every day of our lives.
The fact that the level of nickel varies in the different types of coffee may or may not be caused by
pesticides or fertilizers, but is most likely due to the fact that the natural concentration of nickel in
soil varies with geography and type of soil. And even if you should only drink the cheaper kinds of coffee,
you would have to drink between 32 and 64 cups a day before reaching toxic levels. This kind of intake of
nickel through coffee is clearly absurd, since the extreme amount of caffeine in your system would be toxic
and have sent you to hospital long before that.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Olivier Beaunay
Director, Communications and Public Affairs
Nickel Institute
E-mail: obeaunay@nickelinstitute.org
Tel: +1 416 591 7999
