There are only 12 milligrams of sucralose in a packet of Splenda. So the toxic levels found in mice had the same concentration as an 8 oz. cup of coffee with 16 packets of Splenda.
I've seen that too. But unlike Starbucks which limits simmering time on a hot plate to less than 45 minutes at Dunkin Donuts and local dives you may get a cup of java that has been cooking for hours and tastes like battery acid. Hence the dozen packets of whatever sweetener.
Well, they wouldn't be using all the filler in any splenda packet, would they? 12mg * 16 mixed into a liquid seems a bit more probable, if still unpleasant.
I believe parent meant a packet of Splenda, not actual sugar. However, it would not be surprising if packets of "sugar" actually contained dextrose as a bulking agent.