Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH
March 8 2007
Armenian bottled water recalled
Thursday, March 08, 2007From wire reports
Some spring water imported from Armenia and sold under the name
"Jermuk" contains as much as 60 times the legal limit of arsenic and
shouldn’t be consumed, the Food and Drug Administration said.
No illnesses have been reported, but the FDA found arsenic levels of
500 to 600 micrograms per liter, compared with a legal limit of 10
micrograms per liter in bottled water, the agency said in a
statement. Arsenic is known to cause cancer in humans. Symptoms of
acute arsenic exposure include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The
kidneys, liver, skin and cardiovascular and nervous systems could be
affected over a period of a few days to weeks.
The recall comes after the FDA sampled 500-milliliter green glass
bottles of water and detected arsenic. The products were distributed
nationwide and include the following:
Zetlian Bakery Inc. of Pico Rivera, Calif., is recalling the product
with labels that read: "Jermuk Original Sparkling Natural Mineral
Water Fortified With Natural Gas From the Spring." The product is
also labeled as "2006 Jermuk Mayr Gortsaran CJSC" and "Imported by:
Zetlian Bakery Inc."
Importers Direct Wholesale Co. of Los Angeles is recalling the
product with labels that read: "Jermuk Sodium Calcium Bicarbonate and
Sulphate Mineral Water." The product is also labeled as "Bottled by
ARPI Plant, Republic of Armenia" and "Exclusive US importer and
distributor: Importers Direct Wholesale Co., Los Angeles, CA."
Kradjian Importing Co. of Glendale, Calif., is recalling the product
with labels that read: "Jermuk, Natural Mineral Water Sparkling."
The product is also labeled as "Bottled by Jermuk Group CJSC" and
"Sale Agent Kradjian Importing Co. Inc."
The FDA is investigating whether other sizes or packaging are
involved.