Danone Waters has confirmed that it will not be recalling any of its Volvic mineral water product, after traces of a chemical was found by a consumer in North London.
The chemical Naphthalene, which can cause liver and kidney damage in high doses, was found by a mother-of-two Lauri Pastrone after she complained about a burning sensation after drinking the water. Scientific tests commissioned by the BBC’s Working Lunch revealed traces of the chemical in the samples.
Although it is not known yet as to how the chemical came to be in the water, a spokesperson for Danone Waters confirms that there are no plans to recall any of the product and that the single case may have been caused by “inappropriate storage.”
Pastrone of North London said: “I opened my daily bottle of water and took a large sip from it, and immediately noticed that there was a very, very foul taste and smell. I ran to the sink, spat it out and, as I looked down into the sink, I noticed that the water separated into little pools.”
Danone confirms: “It is an isolated incident. No other complaints have been received from the same batch of product.” It goes on to add that Naphthalene may have penetrated the plastic during delivery or storage after the bottles left the factory.
The Food Standards Agency is now investigating the matter.
