Misleading Claims about “DEW” Bottled Water are False and Debunked

A viral WhatsApp message falsely claims that a bottled water brand, “DEW,” linked to 180 deaths in Tanzania, has been shipped to Nigeria. Investigations by DUBAWA reveal no credible evidence supports this claim, which was originally debunked by NAFDAC in 2011. Furthermore, bottled water is banned from import intoNigeria, confirming the fallacy of the message.

A recent WhatsApp message has falsely claimed that a bottled water brand named “DEW” has led to 180 deaths in Tanzania and is now allegedly being shipped to Nigeria. This message has circulated widely on social media platforms, causing unnecessary fear among the public. It warns individuals to avoid consuming DEW and to pass on the information to help “save lives.”

However, investigations reveal that this allegation is unfounded and has recurred since 2011. The National Agency for Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC) previously debunked similar claims by stating that no poisonous DEW water was present in Nigeria. Their investigations found no hospitalizations or fatalities related to this product.

According to the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), bottled water is prohibited from being imported into the country, which further discredits the claim. Additionally, a thorough online search did not yield any evidence of this bottled water or any associated deaths in Tanzania or elsewhere. Such misinformation can provoke panic, especially in regions with past food safety issues, highlighting the necessity for careful verification of health-related claims.

The claims regarding the bottled water brand “DEW” causing deaths and being imported to Nigeria are categorically false. This misinformation has resurfaced but has been effectively debunked by NAFDAC and is unsupported by any credible evidence. Additionally, the import prohibition on bottled water in Nigeria reinforces the inaccuracy of the circulating allegations.

Original Source: dubawa.org