U.S. health officials are warning people not to use a brand of alkaline water, known as “Real Water,” after several children in Nevada who drank the water were hospitalized with liver failure, according to news reports.
Such water goes through an ionizing process to raise the pH so that it becomes more basic or alkaline.
This week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it examines a number of ‘non-viral’ reports hepatitis, “or inflammation of the liver not caused by a viral infection linked to the consumption of real water.
In November 2020, five babies and children from four different households developed acutely liver failure of unknown cause; and six additional people from those households – 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 Health 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 Las Vegas-based company; and meanwhile, the agency warns consumers, retailers and restaurants not to drink, cook, sell or serve the product, according to the FDA Statement.
The reason for the connection between Real Water and the 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 by autoimmune diseases or too much alcohol.
Real Water is marketed as a ‘premium, drinking water’ that is ‘coated with negative ions’ and has a pH of 9, according to the company website.
The pH of a water is a measure of how acidic or basic it is, with a range of 0 to 14, according to the U.S. 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 or OH ions, according to the USGS.)
Recently, drinking alkaline water with a pH of 8 or 9 has become a trend towards health, and followers claim that it can slow you down, maintain a healthy pH in the body and prevent diseases such as cancer. according to Healthline. However, there is no evidence that alkaline water has health benefits over ordinary water, reports Healthline. (On its website, Real Water states that the product “promotes a balanced pH” and “can detoxify”, but notes that the FDA has not evaluated the claims.)
Drinking alkaline water is generally considered safe, although water with high alkaline levels can have an unpleasant taste Health line. (Acid water, on the other hand, can be dangerous according to USGS because it can dissolve metals from pipes and thus be contaminated.) The body is generally good at maintaining a pH near neutral (about 7.4), but too high alkalis. blood levels can lead to gastrointestinal problems and skin irritation, reports Healthline.
In a statement, Real Water President Brent Jones said: “Our goal is to work diligently with the FDA to reach a speedy resolution.” CBS News reported.
“Real Water is asking all retailers to remove the product from the shelf immediately and keep it in the back rooms or return it to the distributors,” Jones said. “Every customer who bought Real Water from a retailer is asked to return the product.”
One family in Nevada has filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming they became ill from the water, CBS News reported.
Originally published on Live Science.