State environmental health officials will conduct a study to see whether the caffeine found in soda and energy drinks are harmful for our health, especially for pregnant women. If the answer is yes, they will add caffeine to California’s list of dangerous substances.

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment announced on Monday that it is considering placing warning labels on the mentioned drinks if the study finds that caffeine is actually a harmful substance.

The warning labels will be put according to Proposition 65, which is a ballot measure from 1986 that requires the state to identify chemicals that could cause cancer or birth defects.

"Proposition 65 is over 20 years old and requires the state to compile lists of carcinogens and chemicals that are dangerous to pregnant women and developing babies. Since the law was passed in 1986, almost 800 chemicals have been put on those two lists," said Sam Delson, spokesperson at the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. 

State toxicologists say that have enough evidence of the caffeine's negative results on pregnant women. "The majority of studies reported adverse outcomes, such as spontaneous abortions, decreased fetal growth and birth weight," said state toxicologist Farla Kaufman, Ph.D.

The warning label will not be added to products where caffeine is naturally occurring like coffee, tea and chocolate.

"If I were a pregnant woman or a woman thinking about being pregnant, I would want to know, should I be avoiding caffeine? It's a really important question, and I think people are looking for answers," said Renee Sharp, a senior analyst with the Environmental Working Group, an environmental research organization that is based in Washington D.C.

The advisory panel, the Science Advisory Board Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee, also requested an urgent review of Bisphenol-A, which seems to affect hormonal levels. If found so, warning labels would be added on plastic baby bottles, water bottles and reusable food containers.

If the board agrees to conduct the reviews, it would hold public hearings and review the existing research over the next year, Delson said. At the end, the board would decide whether warning labels would be placed on caffeine and Bisphenol-A products. The same labels are currently on potato chips and alcohol.