Daily BrewKorean student kicked out of Canada after Red Bull meltdown
It is beginning to appear that injecting rockets of caffeine into your body could have a negative side effect or two.
The energy drink industry has been under mountain of pressure lately — specifically with one company facing a lawsuit in the U.S. — that claims five people died after contact.
One mother says her 14-year-old died after drinking two 24-ounce cans of Monster Energy in a 48-hour period.
[ Related: Caffeine levels in energy drinks may be higher than advertised ]
And now this headline, from CBC in Nova Scotia: Red Bull rage prompts Korean student's deportation.
Very little positive spin can be put on an exchange student doing a caffeine-charged jitterbug through a university cafeteria.
From CBC Nova Scotia:
Halifax lawyer Joel Pink said drinking too many of the caffeinated beverages triggered his client, Jyong Chul Lee, to have an outburst and threaten his residence adviser at the school on Sept. 10.
"I have never seen a case where a person has been drinking as much Red Bull that Mr. Lee has been drinking," Pink said Thursday.
Lee, 25, was expelled from the university and charged with mischief, creating a disturbance and criminal harassment. He pleaded guilty to the charges Thursday in Sydney provincial court.
In handing down her sentence, Judge Jean Whalen agreed to a joint request from the Crown and defence that Lee be sent back to Korea. He's expected to be escorted home on Friday.
…
Pink described his client as a perfectionist and said Lee drank copious quantities of Red Bull so he could stay up longer to study, believing that would ensure he got the best possible marks in the courses he was taking.
Lee wouldn't be the first student to lean on caffeine during a cram session. He also isn't the first to threaten his residence adviser.
He might not even be the first to have his lawyer blame the caffeine industry for the breakdown — but getting tossed out of an entire country over a Red Bull overdose must be groundbreaking.
People are asking more and more questions about the effects of what is in those tiny bottles and monster cans.
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A recent study by Consumer Report found that energy drinks contain between six milligrams and 242 milligrams of caffeine per serving — with some containers holding more than one serving. In some cases, the number is well above the amount advertises, if it is advertised at all.
At this point an after-school special on caffeine breakdowns is the runaway favourite for a Daytime Emmy Award.
And the award for most realistic caffeine breakdown goes to....
