--- title: "A Popular Brand of Bottled Water Got Linked to Liver Failure" description: "The FDA has been investigating five cases of non-viral hepatitis, which resulted in acute liver failure. All of them drank \"Real Water\" alkalized water." date: "2021-04-02" modified: "2021-04-02" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/fda-real-water-bottled-water-liver-failure" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "bottled water" - "water bottle" --- # A Popular Brand of Bottled Water Got Linked to Liver Failure ![The FDA has been investigating five cases of non-viral hepatitis, which resulted in acute liver failure. All of them drank "Real Water" alkalized water.]() *\Image: Futurism\* Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration and the Southern Nevada Health District [announced an investigation]() into five cases of non-viral hepatitis, which later resulted in acute liver failure in five infants and children. All five children, they say, had consumed "alkalized" water products by Nevada-based Real Water — the only common link among them, [*Ars Technica* reports](). Following the investigation, several customers have filed lawsuits against the company. Three women from California are even seeking class-action status for their federal lawsuit filed on March 22. "The FDA has become aware that 'Real Water' brand alkaline water is still being offered for sale through online retailers," an [official March 31 statement]() by the agency reads. "The agency is working to locate any remaining products to ensure they are no longer available to consumers." Worse yet, Real Water reportedly isn't cooperating. According to the FDA, the company isn't contacting distributors to inform them about the recall. "Given a lack of cooperation by the firm, FDA investigators have been unable to complete investigations at the 'Real Water' Inc. facilities in Henderson, NV and Mesa, AZ and have not been provided with requested records," the statement read. The story gets even stranger. The water product company's attorney Charles LoBello told local district judge Elizabeth Gonzalez that both Real Water's plant manager and lead technician appeared to have run for the hills, [according to the *Las Vegas Review Journal*](). "There has been difficulty getting ahold of them," LoBello told the judge, asking for two weeks to search for them. A different attorney of the company, however, said that the company has done everything to cooperate with the FDA, according to the *Review-Journal*. Five gallon jugs of the water have now been handed over to the FDA for analysis. Plaintiff attorney Will Kemp said that a "super bad batch" that was reportedly produced in October could be behind the illnesses, according to the newspaper. But there may be more systemic issues in play. "The whole manufacturing process is flawed in the first place," Kemp told the outlet. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()