The decision could lead to warning labels on the drinks and inclusion on the state’s Proposition 65 list of harmful chemicals. Sam Delson is with a branch of the California Environmental Protection Agency. 

"The decision is just a recommendation to prepare more extensive research materials. It’s not a decision to list. Any decision to list would be at least a year away."

Some members of the advisory board say dozens of scientific studies link caffeine consumption to miscarriages, premature births and low birth weight.

The label requirement would not cover coffee and tea because caffeine occurs naturally in those beverages.