Methylene chloride used to decaffeinate coffee?

Question

I bought Taster's Choice decaffeinated coffee and found out that chemicals are used to decaffeinate coffee. So I called Taster's Choice and asked them what chemicals are used to decaffeinate the coffee and they told me that they use water and methylene chloride. I heard that methylene chloride was a harmful chemical. My question is, is the coffee safe to drink without any health risks even when they used methylene chloride to decaffeinate their coffee?

Answer 1

It is harmful.  But it is also very volatile, meaning it vaporizes easily.  This in itself prob reduces the residue in the coffee sufficiently to make it safe.  However, the coffee beans are then steamed for an additional 10 hours to eliminate all possible residue.