Coffee and cancer are two words we don’t typically associate with one another. But when you add California to the clause, it seems that there may be a connection between the two. In fact, California-based companies, who make or sell coffee, may soon need to warn consumers about a cancer-related chemical in their cup-a-Joe. Scroll down to know more about cancer warnings for coffee.

Back in 2010, the nonprofit organization, Council for Education and Research on Toxics, filed a lawsuit against companies such as Starbucks and 7-Eleven. Their argument? These companies didn’t give consumers a “clear and reasonable warning” about the risk involved with drinking coffee.

That’s because coffee contains a chemical called acrylamide, which the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified as a group 2A carcinogen for humans. However, this classification was made based on studies conducted on animals rather than humans. Furthermore, research has found that humans absorb and metabolize acrylamide differently than rodents.

And the studies observing acrylamide exposure in humans, researchers haven’t found “statistically significant association between dietary acrylamide intake and various cancers.’”

This may be a very relieving statement, considering that acrylamide is present in potatoes, as well as many types of baked goods, including breads, cookies, crackers – all of which are common dietary staples in the American diet.

Nonetheless, the state of California has added acrylamide to their list of chemicals considered to potentially cause cancer. This may require business selling or making coffee to inform consumers that their product does contain a chemical identified as a carcinogen.