Lawsuit Claims Popular LaCroix Sparkling Water Has Insecticide and Other Harmful Chemicals

By Aaron Kesel

A lawsuit filed in Cook County, Illinois Circuit Court against popular beverage LaCroix alleges the sparkling water advertised as “all natural” includes a dangerous ingredient used in cockroach insecticide (linalool) as well as other harmful artificial ingredients that are “non-natural and synthetic compounds.”

“Thousands of consumers purchase Defendant’s water under the mistaken belief that it conforms with the representations made by Defendant on LaCroix’s packaging and advertisements, i.e., it is ‘all natural’ and/or ‘100% natural.'”

The suit claims that LaCroix’s sparkling water contains “ethyl butanoate, limonene, linalool and linalool propionate.”

The law firm Beaumont Costales filed the suit on behalf of Lenora Rice, CBS Philadelphia reported. The lawsuit claims that testing revealed synthetic ingredients. LaCroix denies the allegations.

“LaCroix in fact contains ingredients that have been identified by the Food and Drug Administration as synthetic,” the lawsuit obtained by CBS states. “These chemicals include limonene, which can cause kidney toxicity and tumors; linalool propionate, which is used to treat cancer; and linalool, which is used in cockroach insecticide.”

The lawsuit further claims that LaCroix producers were aware of the alleged unnatural ingredients, yet did nothing.

National Beverage Corp, the parent company for LaCroix sparkling water, denied all the allegations, stating all essences in LaCroix sparkling waters are “100 percent natural.”

“The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers ‘natural’ on a food label to be truthful and non-misleading when ‘nothing artificial or synthetic (including all color additives regardless of source) has been included in, or has been added,’” the company said in a statement earlier this week.

The lawsuit does not illustrate how the product was tested and found the presence of these chemicals.

“Natural flavors in LaCroix are derived from the natural essence oils from the named fruit used in each of the flavors. There are no sugars or artificial ingredients contained in, nor added to, those extracted flavors,” the company said in a statement.

It’s well known that harmful substances are put into food and drinks; hell, Monsanto was found guilty months ago. There was even reports of orange juice being contaminated with pesticide. However, not many seem to care enough and continue drinking beverages and eating GMO-sprayed foods.

Popular Science has called the lawsuit “a stretch, working on the ambiguous nature of how the FDA distinguishes natural chemicals from synthetic ones, and a product of alarmist, chemophobic ideas about what we put in our foods.” While also seeking to debunk the alleged harmful effects of the chemicals.

Popular Science writes:

Let’s start with limonene. PubChem, the National Institute of Health’s open database for chemical compounds, explicitly calls limonene a “naturally occurring chemical,” and “a major component of oil extracted from citrus peels.” Sounds pretty natural, right? As its name suggests, limonene is commonly used to give foods or other products a lemony flavor and fragrance.

And how about those claims that it’s a harbinger of kidney toxicity and cancer? PubChem also states, “there is inadequate evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of d-limonene.” There is some evidence of male rats experiencing renal problems, including tumors, as a consequence of limonene exposure, but none of those findings (the vast majority of which were published in the early 1990s) have been properly reproduced in humans. Meanwhile, more recent studies suggest limonene is actually antagonistic to cancer.

Linalool is another additive used as a flavoring agent. It’s “naturally occurring,” found within many different types of flowers and spice plants, including mints, scented herbs, laurels, and cinnamon. It is most definitely used in insecticides as well—that part is true. But that doesn’t mean it’s poisonous to humans. After all, we don’t ban chocolate just because dogs can’t eat it. According to PubChem, the only real toxic effects linalool has been documented to inflict on humans are mild skin and eye irritation, namely from aerosolized forms of the chemical. That’s a pretty normal effect for a spicy substance. And, coincidentally, it may also be another anticancer ingredient!

That leaves linalyl propionate, derived from plants like ginger and lavender, and another common flavoring and fragrance additive. It’s been shown to help inhibit the proliferation of prostate cancer, at least in the form of Nagami kumquats. I’m honestly having a hard time trying to understand why the law firm decided “might actually be bad for cancer cells” would be an effective argument against LaCroix’s ingredients.

However, to dismiss the lawsuit and write it off would be foolish. Especially with allegations made stating “testing reveals that LaCroix contains a number of artificial ingredients… LaCroix in fact contains ingredients that have been identified by the Food and Drug Administration as synthetic. These chemicals include limonene, which can cause kidney toxicity and tumors; linalool propionate, which is used to treat cancer; and linalool, which is used in cockroach insecticide.”

One thing is for sure: sparkling water erodes your teeth. According to Dr. Adam Thorne, sparkling water is “extremely acidic.”

“It’s pH3 on the acidity scale. The bubbles erode your tooth enamel – and over time this causes painful, yellow cracked teeth,” Thorne said, according to the MailOnline.

While another scientist, Professor Damian Walmsley, adviser to the British Dental Association, agrees about the acidic nature of sparkling water, and told Huffington Post how sparkling water becomes acidic in the first place.

“Carbonated water gets its fizz from the release of CO2 and then this dissolves in water into carbonic acid, which gives it a refreshing taste, but also makes it more acidic,” Walmsley said.

However, he added that, “Sparkling water is far less acidic than orange juice or a soft drink, but it’s acidic compared to plain water. The other element at play is that saliva in your mouth can help to neutralize the acid, however, it is safest to drink still water but if you have a sparkling carbonated drink, keep it to mealtimes only.”

A third researcher stated to the Washington Post last year that sparkling water causes, “the incremental dissolving away of the enamel on the teeth, which, over time, can affect their structural integrity, making them hypersensitive to temperature and potentially more cavity-prone,” explains Edmond R. Hewlett, consumer adviser for the American Dental Association and professor at the UCLA School of Dentistry.

The only two ingredients listed on a can of LaCroix are “carbonated water,” and “natural flavors.” If additional ingredients are found that are synthetic and they are harmful to one’s organs, the company could be looking at a pricey class action lawsuit. Especially if reports about the synthetic chemicals causing cancer are true. Dentists can also argue that the company is responsible for tooth decay.

Aaron Kesel writes for Activist Post. Support us at Patreon. Follow us on Minds, Steemit, SoMee, BitChute, Facebook and Twitter. Ready for solutions? Subscribe to our premium newsletter Counter Markets.

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