Schumer Raises Concerns About 'Aeroshot'
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The Food & Drug Administration is reviewing a controversial "caffeine inhaler" called Aeroshot.
In December, Senator Charles Schumer called on the FDA to review the product, focusing on how it would affect teens, as well as its use in combination with alcohol.
Aeroshot hit shelves in New York City and Boston in January, and is also sold online. The inhaler sends 100 milligrams of caffeine powder into the body with one puff. That's equivalent to the caffeine in a large cup of coffee.
Schumer says there are several factors to be concerned about.
"First, we don't know the effects of inhaling several snorts of caffeine into the lungs of a 12-year-old, but second where they're marketing this. This French company, they're marketing toward young people," said Schumer, (D).
The French manufacturer did not need FDA review before the product hit store shelves in the U.S., because it's sold as a dietary supplement.
The company claims the product is safe and does not enter the lungs; rather, it dissolves in the mouth.