14 brands of bottled water recalled for E. coli, local mom reacts

By News Staff
Reporting by Liz Tufts
ltufts@abc6.com

More than a dozen brands of Niagara bottled water have been recalled after an E. coli contamination.

Sherry Bell, a mother from North Smithfield, says her entire family drank a lot of the bottled water, something she thought she’d never have to worry about. Now, she’s waiting to see if her family is going to get sick, with the youngest just two months old.

“Do I have that water? I jumped up to check, and realized that I had the tainted ones,” she explained. Sherry instantly thought of her 2-month-old, Brooke.

“I panicked because I’m breastfeeding my daughter and I wasn’t sure if E. coli went through the breast milk or not,” she said.

Sherry contacted her pediatrician where she learned that the bacteria can be passed through breastfeeding. Now, she plays the waiting game.

“It could take a week for symptoms to come up. Just have to keep an eye on her.”

Sherry us not alone, consumers across the country are now checking their water as well.

Water bottled by Niagara has been pulled from the shelves at 14 chain stores in a dozen states, including Acadia water, which Sherry bought at the Stop and Shop at North Smithfield.

The bacteria was found during a test at Niagara’s Pennsylvania water supply earlier this month.

“You would think the people who are responsible for what we consume… would be a little more responsible.”

It does not mean that everyone who drank it will get sick, but it’s especially dangerous for the elderly and small children like Brooke.

Shelly is beside herself, “It could kill my children, especially her [Brooke], she’s two months old. It could kill her.”

There have been no reports of anyone getting sick from the water. For a full list of retailers affected by the recall, visit: http://www.niagarawater.com/consumer-notice/

© WLNE-TV 2015