Federal and local health authorities are urging residents not to drink Real Water, a bottled water brand based in Las Vegas, after it was linked to liver disease in five hospitalized children.
Company President Brent Jones Wednesday called for stores to stop selling the product "throughout the United States until the issue is resolved."
"Our goal is to diligently work with the FDA to achieve a swift resolution," a statement from Jones said.
According to a statement posted Tuesday by the Southern Nevada Health District, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised customers, restaurants, and retailers not to drink, cook with, sell, or serve the item.
Five infants and children from four families in Clark County, Nevada, were hospitalized in November 2020 with acute non-viral hepatitis, which triggered acute liver failure, according to officials. All of them have since recovered.
Authorities said other adults and children from two of the families suffered less severe symptoms such as fever, vomiting, nausea, lack of appetite, and fatigue.
Toxin exposure, autoimmune disease, or excessive alcohol intake may all lead to acute non-viral hepatitis.
Real Water claims that its water has a pH of 9.0 and is "infused with negative ions." According to the company, this means that the water "can help your body to restore balance and reach your full potential." Affinity Lifestyles.com, headquartered in Las Vegas, owns the brand.
The FDA stated that the patients all drank Real Water's alkaline water before becoming sick, which was the "only common link" between the cases.
One of the families has already filed a civil complaint in Clark County claiming that three members of the family became sick after drinking the water, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
According to the lawsuit, Christopher Wren was hospitalized for several days in November after his bloodstream showed unusually high levels of an enzyme that indicates liver damage, while his two-year-old son was hospitalized with symptoms of liver malfunction.
Emely Wren also developed severe nausea and fatigue, but the couple's daughter - who did not drink the water - experienced no symptoms, according to the lawsuit, as stated by the Review-Journal.
Real Water is sold throughout the U.S. and is packed in both Las Vegas and Nashville, Tennessee.
