U.S. health authorities have banned sales of Armenia’s most famous and popular brand of mineral water, saying that it contains excessive amounts of arsenic, a poisonous chemical that can cause cancer. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on March 7 that it has ordered all importers of Jermuk bottled water to recall the product mainly sold in California and other Armenian-populated parts of the United States.
“FDA will continue working to remove all such bottled products from the marketplace,” it said in a statement. According to the data of the agency, each liters of Jermuk contains 500-600- microgram arsenic. To remind, under the criteria of the agency, the arsenic mustn’t surpass 10 micrograms in each liter. Armenia’s appropriate bodies are being silent as of now, mentioning that they haven’t received any such notice from the US.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to drink certain brands of mineral water imported from Armenia due to the risk of exposure to arsenic, a toxic substance and known cause of cancer in humans. While arsenic is a well known human poison there is little chance that someone would become gravely ill if they consumed this product over a brief period of time (days to weeks). However, it is likely that they would experience nausea, abdominal pain and possibly vomiting which are clear indicators of arsenic toxicity, and therefore consumers should avoid ingestion of this bottled mineral water.
The statement specifically mentioned still and carbonated water bottled by Armenia’s two largest producers of Jermuk. Only one of them, Jermuk Group, could be reached for comment on Friday. A company spokesman, Edgar Ghazaryan, told that the ban, which could hit hard Jermuk sales in Armenia, took it by surprise. Ghazaryan said the water, extracted from an eponymous spa resort in the southeastern Vayots Dzor region, was certified by U.S. health authorities before it began to be exported to America in 2000.
“The company has always kept concentrations of arsenic in Jermuk within allowable limits,” he said. But according to FDA, testing of Jermuk products found that they contain between 500 and 600 micrograms of arsenic per liter. “FDA’s standard of quality bottled water allows no more than 10 micrograms per liter,” the agency said. It argued that extended exposure to the poisonous metal could lead to cancer and death, but added that so far there have been no recorded cases of illnesses caused by Jermuk. The Armenian standards, set by the National Institute of Standards, allow for up to 700 micrograms of arsenic in one liter of mineral water. But the institute director, Yerem Chakhoyan, acknowledged that Jermuk should be regularly drunk only by individuals suffering some stomach and intestinal diseases. “The labels on Jermuk bottles make this clear,” Chakhoyan told RFE/RL, denying that the government and bottlers have failed to warn Armenians of the health risks involved. Jermuk is “medical water,” he said. However, Jermuk is heavily advertised by Armenian television stations as “table water” meant for mass consumption, and the TV commercials carry no health warnings. FDA scientists say the recalled water, distributed nationally, might be contaminated with high levels of arsenic, which is a known cause of cancer. FDA testing of the water revealed 500 to 600 micrograms of arsenic per liter, exceeding the FDA’s standard for quality bottled water that allows no more than 10 micrograms of arsenic per liter. Symptoms of acute arsenic exposure usually occur within several hours of consumption and include vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain. Extended exposure can lead to cancer and death. The green glass bottles being recalled carry labels that read "Jermuk Original Sparkling Natural Mineral Water Fortified With Natural Gas From The Spring," "Jermuk Sodium Calcium Bicarbonate and Sulphate Mineral Water," or "Jermuk, Natural Mineral Water Sparkling." Consumers who drank the water and have concerns are encouraged to contact a healthcare provider. About 2,400 bottles of Jermuk mineral water are being recalled from stores after they were found to contain unacceptable levels of arsenic. The order to recall Jermuk Natural Mineral Water Sparkling brand water came after U.S. Food and Drug Administration testing found 500 to 600 micrograms of arsenic per liter – well above the 10-microgram limit, the agency announced.
The water – which is bottled in and shipped from Jermuk, Armenia – was distributed nationwide through three firms, including Glendale-based Kradjyan Importing Co., and was also labeled as "Bottled by Jermuk Group CJSC" and "Sale Agent Kradjyan Importing Co. Inc.," according to the FDA. Kradjyan Importing Co. was notified of the recall Tuesday and has since been working to collect about 200 cases of the bottled water from smaller stores in Glendale, Pasadena, Burbank and North Hollywood, co-owner Vic Kradjyan said. "One thing we’re going to make sure of is that we’re going to collect everything that’s out there," he said. While the level of contamination would not pose any serious health risks for those who have been exposed to the water for up to a few weeks, FDA health officials said longer exposure to the level of arsenic found in the recalled water could be dangerous. "It could certainly do you harm over a long period of time," said David Acheson, chief medical officer for the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. But the positive test results were from water that was tested "at one point in time," Acheson said, and it is not known how widespread or for how long the arsenic levels had been present. Still, symptoms associated with low-level arsenic poisoning – nausea, abdominal pain and possible vomiting – might go misdiagnosed since they are not very specific, he said, "It might go under the radar screen for a while," he said. Long-term, acute exposure over a few weeks to the poison could affect the kidneys, liver, skin and nervous systems, but so far, there have been no illnesses reported, according to the FDA. Investigators have mostly ruled out the possibility that the contamination was intentional, Acheson said. Kradjiyan’s company has been importing the water to stores in the region for the past five years, he said, and it is popular among the local Armenian population. "They’re been using the water for some time," he said. Delivery trucks have been collecting dozens of cases of the recalled water since Wednesday, after Kradjyan sent out letters and made phone calls to the almost 200 mom-and-pop shops that carry the water, he said. The brand is not carried by any major grocery stores or chains in the region, Kradjyan said. The company will lose about $1,600 for the wholesale cost of the water, he said, adding that he hoped to have all of the water collected within the next few days. "All we can do is comply with the FDA measures," he said. "The good news is that nobody got sick from the water, so far."
P.S. According to Ghazaryan none of the exporters has ever exported Hong Kong mineral water. “Perhaps they heard that announcement and gave an order like that,” he said. Also the director of the Jermuk Factory, Hayk Hovsepyan said that they hadn’t received any official notice from the US. “Our product corresponds to all the international standards. If the US wishes to input some new criteria it must inform us,” he said.