In the event that you reside in the states of Maryland, Virginia, or West Virginia, it could be time to remove your bottled water from your home. In the state of West Virginia, Berkeley Club Beverages, a corporation with headquarters in Berkeley Spring, has issued a recall for 151,397.75 bottles of merchandise.
A report on enforcement conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States of America indicates that if you have purchased Berkeley Springs Water Purified or Berkley Springs Water Distilled, there is a possibility that the bottles you have purchased contain coliform bacteria.
According to ScienceDirect, coliforms are seldom not associated to significant sickness directly; nevertheless, the presence of coliforms may indicate the presence of other pathogens “of fecal origin” that are capable of causing illnesses. The following is an excerpt from the article that goes into further detail: “The presence of this organism may be an indicator of fecal contamination and be related to the use of polluted irrigation water, the presence of feces, or poor sanitation and hygiene.”
The voluntary recall was first begun on September 12 and was discontinued on November 13. However, if you purchased water with the numbers 090326, 090426, 090526, or 090626, then your water is in fact included in the recall.
Your level of concern should be what? Don’t stress out. A Class III classification was assigned to the recall on November 8th. According to the website of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a Class III designation is “a situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative material is not likely to cause adverse health consequences.” It is the classification that requires the least amount of attention.
On the other hand, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a policy of zero tolerance for the bacterium, which may indicate the presence of E. coli and other diseases that pose a significant threat to human health. It has been shown that E. coli may give rise to a wide range of symptoms, ranging from mild, short diarrhea to severe, bloody diarrhea and vomiting.
At the end of May, we reported on a massive recall of Fiji Water bottles, which included 1.9 million bottles. This recall was similar to a Class III recall.
Despite the fact that Berkeley Springs is not providing instructions to purchasers on how to comply with the recall, we strongly suggest that you dispose of your water as soon as possible. If you believe that drinking bottled water caused you to get ill, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you get in touch with your local health authority to report the incident.