FDA Warns Don’t Drink This Water Over Concerns Of Hepatitis

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning to avoid consuming Real Water brand alkaline water as it investigative a link to hepatitis.

The agency, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Southern Nevada Health District, is looking into a number of reports of acute non-viral hepatitis that occurred in Nevada that they believe may be linked to the water.

Non-viral hepatitis symptoms can include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay or gray-colored bowel movements, joint pain, yellow eyes, and jaundice. Those individuals that display these symptoms should see their healthcare provider.

The FDA said that five cases of acute non-viral hepatitis have been reported. This resulted in acute liver failure in infants and children in November 2020. All five patients have since recovered from their illnesses.

In all the cases, the patients reported having consumed Real Water alkaline water. Another five people also reported symptoms from consuming the water that ranged from fever, vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, and fatigue.

“The FDA is committed to protecting the health of Americans and is especially concerned when there is a food safety issue impacting our youngest, and some of the most vulnerable in the population – infants and young children ,” Frank Yiannas, deputy commissioner for Food Policy and Response at the FDA said in a statement.

“Upon learning about reports of acute non-viral hepatitis in Nevada, impacting five young children, the FDA quickly activated a team to further investigate. We are working closely with the CDC, state and local partners to complete our investigation and monitor for any additional illnesses. ”

Emely and Christopher Brian Wren, who claimed their two-year-old son became sick after drinking the water, have filed a lawsuit against Real Water, KLAS, a local CBS affiliate, reported.

In their suit, they said that their son was hospitalized in August 2020 with alanine transaminase (ALT) – an enzyme that is often found in the liver and released into the bloodstream when it is damaged, according to the news outlet. At this time, the Wrens were informed their son was an immediate candidate for a liver transplant, court documents obtained by KLAS said .

The suit continued by saying that Christopher was also informed that he was a candidate for a liver transplant as he too suffers from ALT and Emely suffered from fatigue and extreme nausea, according to the lawsuit. Both have said that they were interviewed by the Southern Nevada Health District and CDC about their illnesses.

The FDA maintained that while the investigation is ongoing and in the beginning stages, the Real Water is the only common link identified in all the cases to date and epidemiologic information indicates that the water may be the cause of the illnesses.

“We are advising consumers, restaurants and retailers to not consume, cook with, sell or serve “Real Water” alkaline water until more information is known about the cause of the illnesses,” Yiannas said.

“We are working to determine how the alkaline water may be related to the illnesses. Although the investigation is ongoing, epidemiologic information currently indicates that this alkaline water product may be the cause of the illnesses. We will provide additional updates as more information becomes available,” he added.