The lawsuit alleges that Prime Hydration LLC, a company founded by celebrity boxer and wrestler Logan Paul and co-founder KSI, has been marketing its drinks as healthy despite high levels of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in one of its flavors. According to legal documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the grape-flavored drink was found to contain extremely high levels of PFAS, which are known to cause a range of health problems in people, including cancer, changes in hormone levels, decreased fertility, liver and thyroid dysfunction, and a reduced immune system.
The lawsuit accuses Prime Hydration LLC of fraudulently marketing its drinks as healthy even though it knew or should have known about the presence of PFAS in its products. The lawsuit also alleges that Prime Hydration LLC failed to warn consumers about the potential health risks associated with consuming its products.
Prime Hydration LLC has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
The allegations against Prime Hydration LLC follow similar lawsuits and years of scientific evidence showing that PFAS chemicals are highly toxic and can cause a range of health problems in people. PFAS chemicals have been used widely in a variety of products, including non-stick cookware, clothing, cleaning products, beauty products, and food packaging, due to their water-resistant and grease-repellant properties. However, their persistence in the environment means they have seeped into our water and food supply, with 99% of people tested showing some level of forever chemicals in their bodies.
The Environmental Protection Agency has banned a handful of the most-used PFAS chemicals from food packaging and other manufacturing processes in the past, but there are as many as 15,000 different types. That has meant researching them thoroughly is challenging. The EPA recently established new rules requiring water utilities to filter PFAS chemicals from drinking water.
Dr. Keith Vorst, the Polymer and Food Protection Consortium director at Iowa State University, told Reckon that when PFAS levels are extremely high, it may be because of a problem in the manufacturing process. “It could be that these high levels of PFAS are coming from a contaminated water source,” he said. “If you were to start a bottling company for energy drinks here in Ames, Iowa, you’d be using the municipal water supply that has PFAS several times higher than the EPA’s limits.”
Prime Hydration LLC has not commented on the lawsuit or the allegations regarding its manufacturing process.
The lawsuit against Prime Hydration LLC is a reminder of the potential health risks associated with exposure to PFAS chemicals. It is important to be aware of the products that contain PFAS and to take steps to reduce your exposure to these harmful chemicals.
