Niagara Bottling is recalling 14 brands of bottled water after an E. coli scare, and officials are unsure about how many potentially contaminated products were distributed.
"E. coli bacteria were found in the water supply on June 10, 2015. These bacteria can make you sick, and are a particular concern for people with weakened immune systems,"
company officials said in a statement, according to My Fox New York.
Only bottled water from the company’s facilities in Allentown and Hamburg, Pennsylvania, may have been affected. Bottles from these facilities are marked with an A (Allentown) or F (Hamburg) on the code found on the bottle’s labeling, My Fox New York noted. The company is recalling all bottles with an A or F that were bottled between 3 a.m. on June 10 and 8 p.m. on June 18.
"One of Niagara's spring sources had a positive indication of E. coli. We have not received any complaints of injury or illness of any kind. As the spring source did not notify us in a timely manner, we have discontinued the use of this source," officials announced, reported My Fox New York.
The recall extends to 14 water bottle companies that use the potentially contaminated bottling facility. These companies include Acadia, Acme, Big Y, Best Yet, 7-11, Niagara, Nature's Place, Pricerite, Superchill, Morning Fresh, Shaws, Shoprite, Western Beef Blue, and Wegmans.
ACME, Shaw’s, and Wegman’s supermarkets have sent out their own releases in states that may have been impacted. Customers in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and New York are all at risk of purchasing contaminated
Niagara Bottling products, according to NBC New York.
E. coli is a type of bacteria found in human and animal waste. The bacteria can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, and other illnesses but can also be killed by boiling contaminated water for one minute and then allowing the water to cool for an additional minute.