A tale of arsenic and old ways

For generations, bottled mineral water from the town of Jermuk has been a kind of national tonic in Armenia, proudly sipped like a fine chardonnay in California or taken for its perceived medicinal value, like chicken soup. As the Armenian population here has grown, demand for the water has grown with it.

So when the FDA warned Americans last month to stop drinking five brands of imported Jermuk water because of unsafe levels of arsenic, the action touched off more than a mere product recall for local distributors. It was seen by many as an insult to Armenians, stirring passions from the ethnic enclaves of Glendale and North Hollywood all the way to the mountain resort in the West Asian country that supplies the bubbly water.

After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning, Canada and Hong Kong followed suit, issuing their own advisories.

The recall swiftly prompted coverage in the Armenian press, with government officials defending the water. One economist went so far as to speculate in the AZG Armenian Daily that the recall was part of a plot by France, Germany and Italy, who export their own mineral water, to prevent competition from Armenian bottlers.

At one shopping center in North Hollywood, Armenian Americans defended the mineral water of their homeland, proudly saying they have continued to drink Jermuk. Some even stocked up on it immediately after news of the warning and before it was pulled from store shelves.

"It's been around for so many years, and it hasn't harmed anyone," said Nora Avetisian, 28, who says she once traveled to Jermuk. "It's just wrong," adding that the recall is "a threat to our culture."

"How many years have Armenians been drinking it? And suddenly it's no good?" asked Kazar Mesropyan, 54, the owner of Dream Bakery, as his customers murmured in assent. "It's the best mineral water in the world."

Edgar Ghazarian, an advisor to the president of Jermuk Group, a bottled water exporter, said in a telephone interview, "There are no illnesses reported at this moment

According to the FDA, the arsenic levels in the Armenian water were well above U.S. safety standards for bottled water.

Federal rules permit no more than 10 micrograms of arsenic per liter of bottled water; U.S. government lab tests showed that the recalled water had between 454 and 674 micrograms per liter. (A liter equals about a quart.)