Mountain Valley Spring Water Sued Over Carcinogen Claims

Case Overview: A class action lawsuit alleges Mountain Valley Spring Water contains contaminants like arsenic, uranium, and bromoform, despite being marketed as a premium and pure product.

Consumers Affected: U.S. consumers who purchased Mountain Valley Spring Water in glass bottles since June 2023.

Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

Mountain Valley Spring Water, long marketed as “America’s Premium Spring Water,” isn’t nearly as pure as advertised and contains carcinogens that put consumers at risk, a new lawsuit claims. 

The lawsuit alleges the brand’s parent company, Primo Water Corporation, deceived consumers by selling bottles containing arsenic, uranium, and bromoform; contaminants the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says should not be present at any level in drinking water. 

Despite those findings, the company has continued to charge four to eight times more than standard bottled water, touting its product as pollutant-free and exceptionally healthful, the lawsuit alleges.

Consumers Say They Paid Premium for Unsafe Product

The lawsuit was brought by Florida resident Jeffrey Nadel, who says he regularly purchased Mountain Valley’s glass and aluminum bottles from Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, and Sprouts throughout 2024 and 2025. 

Nadel claims he relied on the company’s repeated promises of “no additives whatsoever” and “the very best bottled water you can drink.” Convinced by packaging and online posts promoting natural filtration and exceptional purity, he paid $2.50 to $4 per liter, premium prices compared to regular bottled water.

Nadel says he never would have paid extra if he knew the water contained detectable levels of contaminants with EPA health goals of zero, including carcinogens and disinfection byproducts. 

He purchased the water for his family, including his daughter, and says he still wants to buy the product, if it actually lives up to the company’s marketing. Without a change in labeling, however, he argues consumers like him are at imminent risk of future harm.

Independent Testing Allegedly Found Carcinogens

Independent laboratory testing in July 2025 allegedly detected arsenic, uranium, bromoform, and cadmium in Mountain Valley’s bottled water. All but cadmium have EPA Maximum Contaminant Level Goals of zero, meaning no level is considered safe for consumption. 

Even the cadmium levels found exceeded California’s stricter public health limits, the lawsuit states. The presence of bromoform, a chemical byproduct of chlorine disinfection, is particularly troubling, the lawsuit claims. It suggests that despite branding centered on “Mother Nature’s filtration,” the company may have used chlorine or allowed contamination during processing.

The case does not allege Mountain Valley violated federal sanitation standards. Instead, it argues the deception lies in the company’s marketing, specifically, its emphatic claims of absolute purity and the absence of additives. 

Nadel contends the brand knowingly concealed contamination and may have even restricted distribution during a 2025 supply shortage to manage fallout from viral social media tests exposing the issue.

Other Water Brands in Legal Trouble

Mountain Valley isn’t the only bottled water brand facing lawsuits over purity claims. Fiji Water was recently accused of selling bottles containing dangerous bacteria and manganese at levels linked to neurological issues.

Poland Spring maker BlueTriton Brands is defending itself against a class action over microplastics, while Nestlé has been challenged over allegations its Perrier water is not true mineral water. Beyond bottled water, food brands like Riviana Foods, First Street, and even Amazon have faced lawsuits for allegedly selling rice products with undisclosed heavy metals.

Nadel hopes to represent all U.S. consumers who purchased Mountain Valley Spring Water in glass bottles since June 2023. The lawsuit seeks damages to recover the premium prices paid, corrective advertising to stop what it calls deceptive marketing, and an injunction preventing Primo Water from continuing to promote Mountain Valley as purer than it really is. 

The case calls for the company to come clean about what’s actually in its “premium” spring water and compensate shoppers who say they paid extra for a promise that wasn’t kept.

Case Details

• Lawsuit: Nadel v. Primo Water Corporation, et al.
• Case Number: 9:25-cv-80993-XXXX
• Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida 

Plaintiffs' Attorneys

• Travis Robert-Ritter (Albrecht Law, LLC)

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