A complete recall has been ordered for Real Water, a boxed-shape bottled water brand that bills itself as “the healthiest drinking water available,” after at least one death and several cases of liver damage have been tied to it.
Real Water, manufactured by affinitylifestyles.com, is sold at a premium price, owing to its supposed detoxifying health benefits that come from its alkalinity, negatively-charged ion particles and its E2 Electron Energized Technology.
The recall was ordered last week by a US district court, and an FDA investigation from March advised, “Do not drink, cook with, sell or serve Real Water alkaline water.”
Based in Las Vegas and sold primarily in Western states, Real Water has been required to recall and destroy all its products. The company will also be required to turn over FDA records about processing, bottling and distribution; and to submit to unannounced inspections of its facilities, TheGuardian.com reports.
Five-gallon bottles of Real Water were distributed in mostly Western cities, however, the recalled alkaline water products have been sold nationwide.
According to a press release provided by Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, a law firm that filed a class action suit against Real Water, AffinityLifestyles.com failed to disclose that its product is defective and can cause health problems that include fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, jaundice, liver failure, and hospitalization, despite knowing about these harmful effects since at least November 2020.
The press release claims that in November 2020, a 2-year-old from Southern Nevada was transported to the hospital for liver malfunction. Similar ailments in children were also discovered. Drinking Real Water the only common link among the group.
According to the FDA investigation, there have been at least 16 cases of acute non-viral hepatitis linked to Real Water, according to the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD). The cases include the death of a Nevada woman in her 60s who had underlying medical conditions, TheGuardian.com reports.
In one Real Water lawsuit, a woman alleges that she developed acute hepatitis two years ago, at age 23, because she drank Real Water alkalized water between May and November 2019. The woman, who had no previous health concerns, had part of her liver and gallbladder removed.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the federal civil complaint against Real Water says that the product is drawn from the Las Vegas-area municipal supply. It is then filtered and processed with potassium hydroxide (lye), along with potassium bicarbonate and magnesium chloride, a salt.
These chemicals may be the culprit in the liver injuries, the complaint alleges.
ChicagoTribune.com adds that several negligence and deceptive trade practices lawsuits in state court allege many more injuries caused by drinking Real Water.
The lawsuits allege that Real Water has caused liver damage to children and internal organ damage to adults leading to hospitalizations, and at least one liver transplant.
Real Water’s owner, Brent Jones, is a former Nevada state Republican lawmaker. In March, the website, drinkrealwater.com posted an apology from Jones along with an assurance that “the lessons learned in this will drive further improvement in the brand.”
Currently, the websites, DrinkRealWater.com and AffinityLifestyles.com are non-operational.
