Lawsuit raises questions about arsenic in wine

Are some California wines dangerous?

Millions of Americans love a glass of wine with dinner, but a new class-action suit raises questions about the levels of inorganic arsenic in several California wines.

The suit was filed March 19 in the California Superior Court.

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It claims more than two dozen wineries are violating California state law by knowingly producing, marketing, and selling arsenic-contaminated wine.

The suit mentions 28 wineries. Some of the popular, inexpensive wine brands mentioned include: Franzia, Menage a Trois, Sutter Home, Wine Cube, Charles Shaw, Glenn Allan, Cupcake, and Beringer. The wines listed in the lawsuit are primarily white wines, such as moscato, pinot grigio, and sauvignon blanc.

"These wineries have long known about the serious health risks their products pose to customers. Yet instead of reducing the exposure to acceptable levels, the defendants recklessly engage in a pattern and practice of selling arsenic-tainted wine to California consumers", said Brian Kabateck, managing partner of the Los Angeles based law firm Kabateck Brown Kellner.

Arsenic Danger

The law firm says the arsenic testing referenced in the lawsuit was done by BeverageGrades, an independent lab based in Denver. Their results were confirmed by two additional labs. BeverageGrades tested 1,306 types of wine; and 83 showed dangerously elevated levels of arsenic.

A release from the plaintiff's attorney says arsenic is an odorless, colorless and highly toxic poison known to cause illness and death when ingested. Some
of the long-term health effects of arsenic exposure include various types of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Wine Industry's Defense

The Wine Institute is a public advocacy association for California Wineries. The organization is the voice for over 1,000 wineries and affiliated businesses throughout California.

The Wine Institute released a press release regarding the allegations "Although we are not privy to the contents of the litigation, we believe this allegation is false and misleading and that all wines being sold in the U.S marketplace are safe."

The Wine Institute says they are concerned that this lawsuit could scare people into thinking that the consumption of wine is unsafe, and that they will keep the media and consumers updated.

The attorneys in the lawsuit have established a website called www.TaintedWine.com for consumers who are seeking more information.

If you'd like more information from the Wine Institute, follow this link: http://www.wineinstitute.org/