FDA: Stay Away From This Bottled Water Brand

Health officials are telling people to steer clear of Real Water, a brand of alkaline water, after several children who drank it were hospitalized with liver failure, Live Science reports. In a statement, health officials in Las Vegas said they are working with their federal and state counterparts to “investigate reports of acute non-viral hepatitis in Clark County.” Those cases include five children who were hospitalized in November and who have since recovered. Six other people, children and adults, reported less-severe symptoms. The only link between the cases is the consumption of Real Water, which is advertised to be rich in minerals, “alkalized,” and “infused with negative ions.”

“Consumers, restaurants, and retailers should not drink, cook with, sell, or serve Real Water alkaline water, until more information is known about the cause of the illnesses,” the FDA advised in a Friday statement. Brent Jones, president of Las Vegas-based Real Water, also has called for stores to stop selling the product “throughout the United States until the issue is resolved,” per USA Today, adding, “Our goal is to diligently work with the FDA to achieve a swift resolution.” On Tuesday, a Las Vegas family filed a lawsuit against Real Water, claiming that two adults and a toddler suffered health issues after drinking the product, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The young boy was reportedly hospitalized for liver malfunction, treated, and released. (More bottled water stories.)