The University of Northumbria has been fined after two of their students fell seriously ill following a lab experiment.

Newcastle Crown Court was told how students were learning about the effects of caffeine as a part of a sports experiment. The experiment included practical exercise where the volunteers would take quantities of caffeine to illustrate the impact.

It was found that two of the students drank a solution with 100 times the amount that should have been taken as a part of the experiment. Immediately, they suffered with dizziness, blurred vision, vomiting, shaking and a rapid heartbeat. The two volunteers were rushed to hospital where their conditions were labelled as life threatening. Dialysis was required to help rid the students of the excessive amount of caffeine in their body.

Following an investigation, carried out by HSE, it was found that the protocols set out for the experiment were not followed. The students were instructed to use 200mg tablets but these were not available. Thus, the students were provided caffeine in a powdered form. This created a situation where the students miscalculated the amount of powder to use and overdosed the two volunteers.

University of Northumbria pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and were fined £400,000 and ordered to pay costs of £26,468.22

HSE inspector Cain Mitchell said: ‘Procedures where students are given supplements to assess their effect on the body need to be stringent and subject to very careful control. Caffeine is most popularly known as a constituent of coffee but it can be very dangerous and life threatening where pure caffeine powder is consumed.

‘The University completely failed to control the risks during these experiments and two young students were made seriously ill which resulted in intensive care treatment for a number of nights. In other reported cases people have died after taking doses which were less than those administered to these two students.

‘All organisations who engage in experiments where people are given chemical substances should ensure that the risks are fully identified and strict procedures are devised and followed to ensure that the experiments can be undertaken safely.’