Earlier this week, a lawsuit was filed against Real Water over concerns it may be causing liver failure.
Last year, a woman in her 60s passed away from liver failure in what her family’s lawyers “believe is the first death connected to Real Water.” According to a lawsuit that was filed Wednesday, Real Water sold alkaline water in stores and online that was marketed as “the healthiest drinking water available today.” However, the woman, Kathleen Ryerson, was hospitalized in September 202 with severe liver failure soon after she received a Real Water shipment. In October 2020 she was hospitalized a second time and died in November 2011.
In addition to Ryerson, the latest lawsuit also includes five other adults who experienced liver failure and a “7-month-old boy who was sent to a Salt Lake City hospital.” So far, about 11 cases of “acute non-viral hepatitis are linked to Real Water,” according to the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD). On top of that, the health district said it is investigating 50 other reports, five of which involve children. Each of the reports involves people who “self-identified to the health district, were reported by a health care provider or because their Real Water subscription was canceled due to health concerns.”
So what is wrong with the drinks? What’s causing such a dangerous reaction in the people who drink it? Well, according to the suit, the “concentrate used in Real Water is made up of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium.” The suit states:
“The composition of the concentrate used by Real Water is a closely guarded secret…While [the developer] claims that the concentrate is solely potassium and magnesium, no independent testing has confirmed such claim.”
Casey Aiken, a former Real Water worker, is named as a defendant. The suit claims that when Aiken used the meter to test the water’s properties, she “did not know the meter should be cleaned every month.” The suit further alleges that “Aiken never cleaned the ORP meter despite being the lead technician from August 2020 to March 2021.” Additionally, the suit alleges “Aiken did not calibrate the meter every month.”
As if all that isn’t bad enough, the lawsuit also claims Real Water caused a number of “miscarriages, dozens of hospitalizations, and one case of emergency brain surgery.” There were also alleged prior incidents where the water made people sick in 2018 and 2019. When commenting on the suit, Eric Pepperman, the attorney representing several clients in lawsuits against Real Water, said:
“All these terrible things are happening and people are left in the dark and then they learn what it is…Now, we’re able to say, ‘Oh, OK. This explains it. This is what happened to me.’”
Back in March, the FDA warned consumers, retailers, and restaurants to stop drinking and selling the alkaline water.
Sources:
I-Team: Woman’s death is first connected to Real Water outbreak, lawsuit says
Lawsuit ties woman’s death to Real Water, outbreak of liver illness
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