At least five babies and children in Nevada have suffered acute non-viral hepatitis, resulting in liver failure, after drinking “alkaline” water from the “Real Water” brand, local and federal regulators reported this week. At least six other people fell ill with less serious conditions after drinking the water – and additional reports continue to emerge.
The first five babies and children with liver failure fell ill in November 2020 and required hospitalization, but have since recovered. They lived in four different families in southern Nevada. The other six sick people – three adults and three children – came from at least two of those same families and reported vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite and fatigue, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.
The health district is working to investigate the cases with the Food and Drug Administration. It is still unclear what caused the diseases, but “so far, the consumption of alkaline water of the brand ‘Água Real’ has been the only common link identified among all cases,” said the health district.
The FDA has advised consumers, restaurants and retailers not to drink, cook, sell or serve alkaline water “Água Real” until more information is known.
On Tuesday, a Las Vegas family filed a lawsuit against Real Water. According to the lawsuit reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, parents Emely and Christopher Brian Wren and their 2-year-old son fell ill after drinking the water. Both the father and the child were hospitalized with liver problems, while the mother suffered from extreme nausea and fatigue. The couple’s daughter, who avoided water, did not fall ill.
Dangerous waters
On Thursday, the law firm representing the family, Kemp Jones, LLP, opened a second lawsuit against Real Water. The lawsuit states that a Nevada man who drank the water suffered “acute liver failure and was told he was a candidate for an immediate liver transplant,” according to the Review-Journal.
Lawyer Will Kemp told the newspaper that the company has received dozens of calls from other people who believe they fell ill because of the water. The newspaper also highlighted two cases of Real Water consumers mysteriously falling ill. In one case, a 69-year-old woman, generally healthy, died of aspirated pneumonia and liver failure after drinking more than 64 ounces of water a day, according to the deceased’s sister. Another woman spent nine days in the hospital, accumulating $ 100,000 in medical bills.
Real Water claims that its water – which is sold throughout the southwest – is infused with negative ions and has a pH of 9.0. The company makes vague references to unproven health benefits and suggests that drinking water leads to “increased cellular hydration”. There are no established benefits for alkaline diets and water, and the human body maintains its own healthy pH.
In a statement to the Associated Press, the president of Real Water, Brent Jones, said that “the company’s goal is to work diligently with the FDA to arrive at a quick resolution”. company’s “Las Vegas home delivery operation”.
“Real Water is asking all retailers to take the product off the shelf, with immediate effect, and either keep 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.”