While we're waiting here at the Muqata for the IDF to clear a seriously top secret story for publication...YNETNEWS reports that a class action suit was filed this past Thursday against mineral water companies Neviot and Eden Springs Ltd., better known as "Mei Eden."
The suit, filed with the Tel Aviv District Court and seeking NIS 33 million (roughly $8.5 million) in damages from each company, claims that the twos 19.8 liter water containers, which are made of plastic, release hazardous phenols into the water, including Bisphenol A (BPA).The suit is pending the court's approval for its class action status.
The plaintiffs claim that lab results prove Neviot and Mey Eden water contain high levels of phenols, thus making the water dangerous to drink. The suit also claims that the companies have knowingly withheld this information from the public. The toxins released by the water containers, claim the plaintiffs, may cause abnormal sexual development in men, attention deficit disorder, obesity, Type-2 diabetes and respiratory problems, as well as being carcinogenic.As opposed to ridiculous spam mail which lands in my inbox on a daily basis (from not the brightest of neighbors), Bisphenol A is a seriously toxic chemical.
Israel's Health Ministry already issued guidelines concerning hard plastic bottles that could contain BPA and the FDA is re-evaluating the issue after previously scorning it off. An Israeli firm even cashed in on the scare by marketing BPA-free bottles.
However, I personally don't understand how BPA could be in the plastic water bottles, since the Neviot and Mei Eden bottles all are stamped underneath with a recyclable plastic "1" which doesn't contain BPA. [Update: Just realized the class action is only against the big hard plastic water jugs, which might be a different plastic type, (like 3 for example) which could in fact, contain BPA]In the meantime, this may or not be a coincidence, yet was reported TODAY:
The Forum of Water Corporations appealed to the government on Monday to replace the bottled water at cabinet meetings with tap water.The court hasn't yet accepted the class action suit.
"Every week when I watch a broadcast from the cabinet meeting, I am amazed to discover that there are bottles of mineral water on the table," Forum head David Kochmeister, CEO of Jerusalem's Gihon water corporation wrote in a letter to the ministers.
"Bottled water is 100-250 times more expensive than tap water!" he added.
Furthermore, "drinking bottled water shows a lack of confidence in tap water, which the government itself is responsible for, and which is clean and fit to drink."
The Forum requested that the ministers abandon their half liter mineral water bottles by the next cabinet meeting. (JPost)
Over 300,000 trees burned down in Israel on June 29...
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
Oh, my, this is not a humanitarian episode. If I was in Eretz HaKodesh already, I would be drinking Mei Eden. However, it seems only with a certain size/type container, so maybe the suit should be against the container company!
ReplyDeleteThe Bisphenol scare is not based on any real evidence. You should go a bit further down the Google page next time.
ReplyDeleteThe major problem with tap water in Israel is the high mineral concentration, which will lead to the development of kidney stones and other such health complications if consumed on a daily basis. There is no issue with toxicity or bacteria.
ReplyDeleteThe part of the country you are getting the water from can determine its quality and taste. I understand why cabinet ministers would not want to drink Jerusalem tap water. It tastes like you're drinking from a pool. However, with the use of any simple inexpensive filtration system you can easily get rid of the chlorinated taste.