- High levels of arsenic are in various brands at stores like Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods Market.
- Some of the companies involved have released their own statements on the situation.
- High levels of arsenic ingested long-term may cause problems. In other words, an increased risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, and several types of cancer.
If you buy your groceries at Walmart or Target, think again! For instance, tests from the Center for Environmental Health found high levels of arsenic in certain bottled waters. They found arsenic in bottled water brands Peñafiel and Starkey. The bottled water contains higher arsenic levels than tap water. Therefore, they had high enough levels to violate California’s guidelines.
The U.S. FDA Twitter account releases a statement on the high levels of arsenic, specifically in Peñafiel. “Keurig Dr. Pepper announces the voluntary withdrawal of unflavored Peñafiel mineral spring water that does not meet FDA bottled water quality standards.”
Keurig Dr Pepper Announces Voluntary Withdrawal of Unflavored Peñafiel Mineral Spring Water that Does Not Meet FDA Bottled Water Quality Standards https://t.co/0kvUtliqt3 pic.twitter.com/IpZYZSJCaH
— U.S. FDA Recalls (@FDArecalls) June 24, 2019
The study is actually in part with Consumer Reports’ findings from earlier this year. Both of these findings confirmed that Peñafiel and Starkey waters contained double the federal limit of arsenic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that drinking arsenic at high levels is bad for you. For instance, it can result in an increased risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, and several types of cancer.
What the companies have to say about the high arsenic levels
Peñafiel has released a statement on the situation. “Water quality tests of Peñafiel samples conducted by an independent laboratory on behalf of Keurig Dr. Pepper detected arsenic at levels that exceeded the FDA’s bottled water standards for mineral water of 10 ppb (parts per billion),” they say.
The statement continues, “Arsenic is found in nature, including in aquifers that are the source of mineral water and where levels can vary over time. Keurig Dr. Pepper has recently installed enhanced filtration systems at its facilities that produce Peñafiel. The product now being produced is well within regulatory guidelines.”
Furthermore, a Consumer Report from April of this year found that 11 out of 130 brands of bottled water had detectable levels of arsenic. For instance, Whole Foods Market is another grocery store that experiences high arsenic levels. They sell Starkey water. A spokesperson released a statement on the matter.
“Beyond the required annual testing by an FDA certified lab, we have an accredited third-party lab test every production run of water before it is sold. Our test results from the same lot analyzed by Consumer Reports show that these products are fully compliant with FDA standards for heavy metals. We would never sell products that do not meet FDA requirements.”
Check out some more information on the arsenic levels found in these water bottles in the video below. In conclusion, you might just be safer drinking tap water!
