WASHINGTON (AP) — The parents of an Ohio teen who died from an overdose of caffeine powder are urging federal regulators to ban sales of the stimulant, saying that children must be protected from a highly potent substance. 
 
 Dennis and Katie Stiner, of LaGrange, Ohio, were in Washington on Tuesday on behalf of their 18-year-old son Logan, who died in May after ingesting about 23 times the amount of caffeine found in a typical coffee or soda drink. 
 
 "Before May 27, 2014, we had never heard of 'caffeine powder.' Now we think about it every day," the Stiners said in a meeting with lawmakers. 
 
 As little as a single teaspoon of the stimulant can be fatal. 
 
 The Stiners said the Food and Drug Administration must do more to keep teens and young adults away from pure powdered caffeine, which is marketed as a dietary supplement primarily on the Internet and largely unregulated, unlike caffeine added to soda. 
 
 In July, the FDA cautioned consumers to avoid caffeine powder as it considers possible regulatory action. The powder remains available for sale online even as the agency acknowledges it often lacks adequate warning labels and that people can easily take a lethal amount. 
 
 The Stiners met with Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and were joined by Jim and Julie Sweatt, the parents of Wade, a 24-year-old Georgia resident who also died after ingesting caffeine powder. 
 
 "We must do everything we can to get this product off the market and away from children," the Stiners said. 
 
 Brown and Blumenthal pledged to continue pressing the FDA to ban the product and said they will consider legislative action if necessary. 
 
 "While the dangers are not broadly understood, powdered caffeine is widely available online or in stores with little warning or guidance. That must stop," Brown said. "While it's too late to save Logan and Wade from this dangerous substance, we must act quickly before more lives are lost." 
 
 Blumenthal called the stimulant a poison. "There ought to be a great big 'skull and bones' on it, or it should be banned," he said. 
 
 In a statement Tuesday, the FDA said it was continuing its investigation and noted that since its July warning to consumers, some online retailers have discontinued selling caffeine powder. The agency did not indicate how long its review may take or what regulatory action it was considering. 
 
 Because caffeine powder is sold as a dietary supplement, it's not subject to the same federal regulations as certain caffeinated foods. Users add it to drinks for a pick-me-up before workouts or to control weight gain, but it is almost impossible to measure with common kitchen tools, according to the FDA. 
 
 A mere 1/16th of a teaspoon can contain about 200 milligrams of caffeine, roughly the equivalent of two large cups of coffee. 
 
 In the case of Logan Stiner, a wrestler, an autopsy found that he had more than 70 micrograms of caffeine per milliliter of blood in his system, as much as 23 times the amount found in a typical coffee or soda drink, when he died at his home. Symptoms of caffeine overdose or toxicity include rapid or erratic heartbeat, seizures, vomiting, diarrhea and disorientation. 
 
 Stiner's parents described the teen, who died days before his high school graduation, as a bright kid who was looking forward to attending the University of Toledo to study chemical engineering. 
 
 "It was tragic," his mother told senators. "He had a busy week and he thought it wouldn't hurt." 
 
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 Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report. 

 Teen's death highlights dangers of pure powdered caffeine Posted: Tuesday, February 17, 2015 12:34 PM EST Updated: Thursday, March 19, 2015 12:34 PM EDT 
 
 Prom king, athlete and straight-A student Logan Stiner of Ohio was just 18 years old when his brother found him dead on his bedroom floor last year. 
 
 One teaspoon of powder caffeine is equal to 16 cups of coffee. Doctors say and Stiner's story proves it doesn't take much to kill. 
 
 It can be bought with the click of a mouse but with just a spoonful, powder caffeine can be lethal. 
 
 One mother's only wish is that she knew about the supplement that ended her teenage son's life. 
 
 Prom king, athlete and straight-A student Logan Stiner of Ohio was just 18 years old when his brother found him dead on his bedroom floor last year. 
 
 "He had no idea what he was doing. None. I do believe at the last minute he realized what happened and probably shook his head," the teen's mother, Katie Stiner, said. 
 
 Logan Stiner's s death remained mysterious until his mom found a bag of powder caffeine in his room. 
 
 Now, she is telling her cautionary tale to anyone who will listen including lawmakers, urging them to ban the supplement. 
 
 "It is straight caffeine in its pure form," said Dr. Jennifer Lowry, a toxicologist at Children's Mercy Hospital.? 
 
 Lowry says caffeine powder is the concentrated form of what one would drink in coffee or soda. 
 
 "In worst cases, you end up having seizures, heart attacks, strokes and can cause serious harm," Lowry said. 
 
 One teaspoon of powder caffeine is equal to 16 cups of coffee. Doctors say and Stiner's story proves it doesn't take much to kill. 
 
 "They're not regulated, so they don't need to tell me what's in it, how much is in it, and a lot of times there are different things in it that weren't suppose to be in it in the first place," Lowry said. 
 
 It's a Food and Drug Administration loophole for substances labeled supplement. It falls under no regulations. 
 
 KCTV5 News bought a bag on eBay for $11 and contacted the seller, a Chicago-based company named Phil-Outlet. 
 
 The owner, Eddie Chua, said he gets the powder from China. 
 
 "We sell to a lot of sports nutrition people who are mixing the product. Because if you buy sports drink, it's already mixed in. Some people like to mix their own," said Chua, who stands by the product. 
 
 His packaging is uniquely labeled compared to other brands found. 
 
 "We sell it with ample warning, and we provide a dosing spoon. I think a lot of people misuse it when they purchase it. There is no instruction on how to use it," he said. 
 
 While Kansas and Missouri poison control centers have only received one call on the powder in the last year, families like the Stiners say every parent needs to hear their story. 
 
 "We know if it can kill somebody like Logan, it has no borders and it will kill again," Katie Stiner said. 
 
 The Stiner family believes without a ban, powder caffeine will end more lives. 
 
 Since the so-called supplement has caused harm, the FDA is now working to build a legal case against companies that sell it. 
 
 Copyright 2015 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.
– Prom king Logan Stiner died of a caffeine overdose just days before his high school graduation last May, and now his parents are suing. Kate and Dennis Stiner have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against companies that manufacture and distribute caffeine powder, including Amazon.com and Hard Rhino. "This is pharmaceutical-grade caffeine powder that is advertised, marketed, and delivered across the country, and just a small difference in dosage is the difference between life and death," their attorney, Brian Balser, tells WKYC. "We clearly believe they violated several" Ohio Food and Drug Act safety laws. Stiner, 18, had gone home for lunch on the day of his death; his brother found him on the floor. An autopsy showed more than 70 micrograms of caffeine per milliliter of blood in his system, as much as 23 times the amount found in that of a typical coffee or soda drinker. Stiner, a wrestler, had once told his mom he took some sort of "pre-workout" substance, and a bag of caffeine powder was found in his room. "He had a busy week and he thought it wouldn't hurt," his mom told lawmakers in December, according to the AP. Last month, KCTV5 bought a bag of the powder on eBay for $11 and noted that it was "uniquely labeled [with warnings] compared to other brands found." The seller explained to the station that he gets the powder from China and said, "We sell it with ample warning, and we provide a dosing spoon. I think a lot of people misuse it when they purchase it. There is no instruction on how to use it." The Stiners have been working to get the FDA to ban the powder, which is currently unregulated since it's considered a supplement; a petition they created has more than 6,000 signatures. (This mom blames energy drinks for her daughter's death.)