OAKLAND, CA — An environmental advocacy group, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), has filed a complaint in California Superior Court against manufacturers, distributors and sellers of activated carbon (AC) filters in the state, claiming the AC filters release arsenic into water, that the defendants knew or should have known that, and that companies were not warning consumers about it, an August 6 Courthouse News Service report said.

Named defendants in the suit, filed in Marin County, were Multipure International; Omnipure Filter Co., Inc.; PUR Water Purification Products, Inc.; and The Proctor & Gamble Co.

Also shown as defendants were unnamed other individuals or companies who manufacture, distribute and/or sell activated carbon water filtration systems in California, identified in court papers only as “DOES 1-500” (multiple “John Doe’s”). The plaintiff’s lawyers stated they haven’t determined the identities of the “Doe” defendants yet, but they intend to determine those identities and add those defendants’ names to an amended complaint.

Among other things, the complaint states: “Arsenic is present in the activated carbon used in the filters and replacement filters of defendants’ drinking water filtration systems. … People who use the products, including children, consume water from the products after arsenic has leached from the products into the water.”

The CEH alleges that the companies violate California’s Proposition 65 by failing to warn consumers about the risks of cancer and birth defects from the arsenic.

The complaint seeks injunctive relief and civil penalties of $2,500 per day for every Proposition 65 violation. The CEH is represented by Eric Somers with the Lexington Law Group of San Francisco.

To read the full report, click here.

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