Unfounded arsenic litigation that attempted to raise questions about the safety of some California wines has been dismissed. The court found no legal basis for any arsenic claim. The arsenic lawsuit’s allegations were patently false.
So please – pour a glass of your favorite wine and enjoy!
- FACT: The arsenic lawsuit alleging that some California wines were unsafe was baseless and dismissed by the court. Get the facts.
- FACT: Wine in the U.S. is regularly tested by the federal government. The trace arsenic levels found in wine pose no health risks. See Frequently Asked Questions.
- FACT: Air, soil, water & food all contain trace amounts of arsenic. Read the science.
- FACT: Wines sold in the U.S. are safe to consume. Learn the truth.
Wines in the U.S. are safe to consume
Arsenic occurs naturally in air, soil, water and food.
As an agricultural product, wines from around the world contain trace amounts of arsenic as do fruits, vegetables, grains, water, juice and other beverages.
Wines sold in the U.S. are regularly tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Tax and Trade Bureau as well as the European Union and Canadian government and are well below established limits for arsenic. The trace levels of arsenic in wines from all over the world pose no health risk to consumers.
Experts Weigh In: “ARSENIC IN WINE DOES NOT POSE A HEALTH RISK”
Water 
Wine
THE BASIS FOR THE DISMISSED LAWSUIT WAS THAT WATER AND WINE SHOULD HAVE THE SAME LIMITS FOR ARSENIC, BUT THAT’S WRONG
A person would need to consume up to 13.5 glasses (nearly 3 bottles) of wine a day to approach the level of arsenic consumption the EPA considers safe for water.*
*The U.S. Dietary Guidelines consider moderate consumption to be up to one 5 oz. glass of wine per day for women and two 5 oz. glasses of wine per day for men.“People drink far more water than they do wine over their lifetimes, and they start drinking water earlier in life.”
U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
The dismissed wine arsenic lawsuit in a word:
UNFOUNDED
California wines are safe to drink. The lawsuit was dismissed as the research study was not scientifically supported.
“At the levels that we find arsenic in wine, this is not a health concern. Beverages constitute only about 5% of our total exposure to arsenic and the contribution from wine in that 5% is also very low.”
Dr. Carl K. Winter
University of California at Davis
To Recap
-
Safe to Drink
Wines in the U.S. are safe to consume. Arsenic is a naturally occurring element in air, soil, water and food including fruits, vegetables, grains, juice, wine and other beverages.
-
Experts Weigh In
Wines and other foods and beverages from all over the world contain trace levels of arsenic that pose no health risk to consumers.
-
Unsubstantiated Litigation
The lawsuit alleging that some California wines containing trace amounts of arsenic were unsafe was false, not supported by scientific evidence, which led to the case being dismissed by the court.