Worried about coffee warning?

Don’t worry, coffee-addled Seattleites: You and your morning ritual are safe.

Despite a Los Angeles judge’s ruling that in California coffee must carry a warning label, there’s little cause for concern.

California’s Proposition 65 labeling certainly delivers a jolt, notifying consumers of the presence of chemicals the state has listed as causing cancer and birth defects.

And while it’s smart to be cautious about food and drink, here’s something to ease your caffeinated mind. California’s coffee shop warning relates to acrylamide, a chemical produced when coffee beans are roasted. Acrylamide has been shown to cause cancer in rodents, but that’s when they are given doses up to 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than what people might be exposed to in foods, according to the American Cancer Society.

In 2016, the International Agency for Research on Cancer cited a lack of evidence that coffee drinking causes cancer in humans. In fact, drinking coffee can reduce people’s risk of developing common cancers and heart disease . ... California’s toxics labeling initiative is well intended, but by attempting to condense an entire body of scientific literature into a placard, the warnings are not helpful. Such labeling may steer some consumers away from a product that may actually help reduce their cancer risk. In other words, don’t be afraid of your morning — or afternoon — coffee.

— Seattle Times via AP