US health officials are warning people not to use an alkaline water brand known as “Real Water” after several children in Nevada who drank the water were hospitalized with liver failure, according to reports.
This water goes through an ionization process to raise its pH so that it becomes more basic or alkaline.
This week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced is investigating a series of “non-viral” reports hepatitis, “or inflammation of the liver not caused by viral infection, associated with the consumption of Real Water.
In November 2020, five babies and children from four different families developed acute symptoms liver failure unknown cause; and six more people from these families – including three adults and three children – developed less severe symptoms, including vomiting, nausea and loss of appetite, according to a statement from the Southern Nevada Sanitary District.
So far, the only common factor among all these cases has been that they drank Real Water, the statement said.
The FDA is investigating the company, which is based in Las Vegas; and, meanwhile, the agency warns consumers, shopkeepers and restaurants not to “drink, cook with, sell or serve” the product, according to the FDA Statement.
The reason for the link between Real Water and hepatitis cases is unclear; but the Southern Nevada Health District notes that non-viral hepatitis can be caused by exposure to toxins, as well as autoimmune diseases or drinking too much alcohol.
Real Water is marketed as a “premium drinking water” that has been “infused with negative ions” and has a pH of 9, according to company website.
The pH of the water is a measure of how acidic or basic it is, with a range of 0 to 14, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Water normally has a neutral pH of 7, and water with a lower pH is considered acidic, while water with a higher pH is considered basic or alkaline. (Specifically, acidic water has more free hydrogen ions, while alkaline water has more free hydroxyl ions, or OH, according to the USGS).
Recently, drinking alkaline water with a pH of 8 or 9 has become a health trend, with followers claiming that it can make you age more slowly, maintain a healthy pH in the body and prevent diseases like cancer, according to Healthline. But there is no evidence that alkaline water has any health benefits over normal water, Healthline reported. (On its website, Real Water claims that its product “promotes a balanced pH” and can “detoxify”, but notes that “these statements have not been evaluated” by the FDA.)
Drinking alkaline water is generally considered safe, although water with high alkaline levels may taste unpleasant, according to Healthline. (Acidic water, on the other hand, can be dangerous because it can dissolve pipe metals and thus become polluted, according to the USGS.) The body is generally good at maintaining a pH close to neutral (around 7 , 4), but too high alkaline blood levels can lead to gastrointestinal problems and skin irritation, Healthline reported.
In a statement, Real Water President Brent Jones said, “Our goal is to work diligently with the FDA to achieve quick resolution,” CBS News reported.
“Real Water is asking all retailers to take the product off the shelf, with immediate effect, and hold it in the back or return it to distributors,” said Jones’ statement. “Any customer who purchased Real Water from a retailer must return the product.”
A Nevada family filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming that they became ill because of the water, CBS News reported.
Originally published on Live Science.