Dangerous Drinking Water Still Being Sold at California Store After Recall

A drinking water brand recalled in 2021, prompting a $3 billion court ruling, is being sold at a Beverly Hills wine store.
Five children and three adults sued Real Water, a Nevada-based water company, alleging that the company’s alkaline water contained a toxic chemical known as hydrazine that ultimately led to liver damage for all plaintiffs. The children’s ages range from 7 months to 5 years and, according to the plaintiffs’ lead attorney Will Kemp, they had to be flown to a children’s hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the fall of 2020 for potential liver transplants that never came to fruition, Newsweek previously reported.
Some lawsuits related to the allegations remain ongoing years after Real Water issued a voluntary recall of all water within its brand in 2021 after revealing that the water was linked to a non-viral hepatitis diagnosis reported in the Las Vegas area in November 2020. The allegations led to multiple investigations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Justice. The company ceased operations following the recall until it could comply with FDA standards.
“Real Water Inc. has not complied with FDA regulations and remains out of operation as of September 25, 2024,” an FDA spokesperson told Newsweek.
However, despite the recall, the brand is still being sold across the nation. Earlier this summer, Newsweek was successfully able to order the water and have it delivered from a website for South Carolina-based Caliber Grocers, and this week, Newsweek discovered the brand was sold at Robert Burns Wines in Beverly Hills, California. Real Alkalized Water in the 1 liter size was listed for $2.50 on the wine store’s website.
When reaching an associate by phone, the person told Newsweek that although the water was listed online, he was unable to locate it within the store. However, a Robert Burns Wines spokesperson told Newsweek via email that the store does carry the water and currently had the 1 liter size in stock with plans to restock the 500 milliliter size soon. As of 10 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, the spokesperson has not responded to follow-up questions asking if the store was aware of the recall.
In the 2021 recall notice, the FDA suggested that any customers possessing the water should discard it immediately and not drink it.
Symptoms of non-viral hepatitis, which causes sudden liver inflammation, include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay or gray-colored bowel movements, joint pain, yellow eyes and jaundice, according to the FDA recall notice.