Man Dies After Accidentally Consuming Caffeine Powder Equivalent To 200 Cups Of Coffee

A man has been reported dead due to rare caffeine toxicity after reportedly drinking the equivalent of hundreds of cups of coffee in a short period of time in Wales, United Kingdom.

Thomas Mansfield, 29, who hails from Colwyn Bay and worked as a security guard and a personal trainer, has been confirmed dead due to caffeine toxicity after he miscalculated the amount of caffeine powder in his pre-workout drink and consumed caffeine equivalent to at least 200 cups of coffee on Jan. 5, the Daily Post reported.

According to Suzannah Mansfield, Mansfield's wife, her husband was "really healthy" and rarely drank more than two cups of coffee per day.

Mansfield had ordered a packet of caffeine powder from a U.K.-based sports supplement company and the package had arrived the morning he died. As soon as the caffeine powder arrived, he added the mixture to his pre-workout drink. However, he reportedly used a digital scale with a starting weight of 2 grams to measure the powder.

According to Suzannah, after taking a sip of the supplement he had prepared, Mansfield then proceeded to rapidly drink the remainder of the mixture. Following this, Mansfield clutched his chest and laid down on their couch. Soon after, he began to froth at the mouth and his wife ran out to get help from neighbors and nearby family members.

When the emergency crew arrived at the scene, they found that Mansfield had gone into cardiac arrest and had a "grossly abnormal" heart rhythm. He was then taken to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd where doctors tried resuscitation measures. However, Mansfield was pronounced dead at around 4 p.m, The Independent reported.

The recommended dose on the caffeine package was only between 60 to 300 mg per day. Mansfield reportedly ingested many times more than the maximum amount recommended for one serving.

Meanwhile, the autopsy report revealed that Mansfield had at least 392 mg of caffeine per liter of blood.

According to a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information in May 2018, between 80 to 100 mg of caffeine per liter of blood is considered lethal. The same research added that caffeine toxicity can arise from concentrations of over 15 mg of caffeine per liter of blood.

Symptoms of caffeine intoxication can mimic those of anxiety. The symptoms may also include agitation, restlessness, insomnia, gastrointestinal disturbances, and tremors.