Pollutants
Good evening!
I have a question about potential late damage to internal organs:
I have kept ground coffee in the kitchen cupboard, opened the package and only covered it with some aluminum foil, sometimes for a few months without giving it much thought (I don't drink coffee myself).
My son (27), who is studying away from home, has occasionally drank from these opened coffee packages during his visits, and for about half a year now, he has been putting the opened but only superficially closed coffee packages in the refrigerator.
Ironically, I advised him to do so, as I had read somewhere that this would keep the coffee fresher for longer. However, I have now read that coffee in general, and particularly when stored in the refrigerator, must be kept in an airtight container - otherwise, it could develop mold.
My concern is that due to improper storage (even in the refrigerator), dangerous substances may have accumulated in the coffee powder, such as mold spores (I have never seen mold, but maybe it is not always visible).
I now blame myself for not disposing of the older, opened packages earlier and for advising my son to put them in the refrigerator without mentioning that they must be airtight.
When he pours hot water over the coffee, I believe it is sometimes not boiling hot anymore, so I don't know if any potential toxins are being killed off (if that even works).
To get to the point: I am very afraid that my son may have been harmed in the long term (in terms of life-threatening malignant diseases, tumors, etc.).
This issue is keeping me up at night.
Perhaps I am just imagining a danger that does not exist or is much less significant than I assume.
I would be very grateful for any helpful information (also so I can sleep peacefully again).
Best regards,
Andre
