A young man named Lachlan Foote returned home after celebrating New Year’s Eve with his friends.
He gave his mother goodnight kiss and went to made himself a protein shake.
Nobody had ever thought that it would be his last day in this world as he collapsed into unconsciousness on the bathroom floor and never woke up.
After his death, rumors circulated that he died because of a drug overdose but in reality, it was something else and totally unexpected. The Foote family finally received a Coroner’s report last week, it turned out that Lachlan died of caffeine toxicity as he unknowingly ingested a dangerous amount of the powder in a protein shake.
His father shared what happened that day on Facebook in a lengthy post. He wrote, ”While I don’t wish to keep raising the subject of Lachlan’s death on Facebook, I’m posting this because there’s a possibility it might save someone’s life.”
”Dawn and I have finally received the Coroner’s findings regarding Lachlan – he died of ‘caffeine toxicity’ (not from a dodgy batch of protein powder as we had first thought). There was nothing else in his system except a small amount of alcohol (.043).”
”It turns out that Lachlan came home after celebrating New Year’s Eve with his friends and made a protein shake, innocently adding too much Pure Caffeine Powder – a teaspoon is lethal (the equivalent of 25-50 coffees).”
”Pure Caffeine Powder is marketed as a dietary supplement and often used as an additive in protein shakes. It is legally and easily available online in Australia.”
”We think Lachlan obtained the caffeine powder from a friend or work associate as a thorough search of his computer and bank statements, by both myself and the police, revealed no mention of caffeine powder, only related protein powder products.”
”Therefore, it appears the pure caffeine powder was bought by someone else and shared, so it’s very likely that Lachlan never got to read the warning label on the packet and was unaware of its potency. And the fact that he kept the caffeine powder in our kitchen pantry (where one of us might have mistaken it for flour or sugar) proves the point – Lachlan would never have kept it there had he known it was a threat to the family. He was a bright, imaginative young man.”
”We’re concerned that there might be other young people in his circle who bought or shared in this batch of pure caffeine powder and, like Lachlan, be unaware of the danger… hence this post.”
”Morning never came for Lachlan. We found him, dead and cold on the bathroom floor (New Year’s Day 2018)… the day before his 22nd birthday.”
”It has been an excruciating wait for the Coroner’s findings, but the love and support we have received from our family, friends and this fabulous Blue Mountains community has seen us through. We can never thank you enough.”
”The investigation is finally over and we are not left wondering what exactly happened to Lachie any more – we now know. The original autopsy revealed caffeine but not the precise levels, so another, more specialized test had to be done, hence the delay. The Coroner’s forensic team and counseling staff have been wonderful.”
To Lachlan's friends and the Blue Mountains community:While I don’t wish to keep raising the subject of Lachlan’s…
Posted by Nigel Foote on Saturday, July 6, 2019
”We bear no ill feeling toward whoever shared the caffeine powder with Lachlan as we’re sure this was just a tragic, innocent mistake. However, it’s scandalous that this product has not been banned in Australia (as it has in America) and we feel that the NSW Food Authority, and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) are failing in their duty to protect consumers.”
”It’s just insane that something so dangerous is so readily available. Please warn your friends, talk to your children… and perhaps check your kitchen cupboards…pure caffeine powder looks just like any other white powder… but a heaped teaspoon of it will kill you.”