Arsenic in Wine Lawsuit Dismissed

March 25, 2016 – A California judge dismissed the lawsuit filed one year ago claiming 83 California wines contained arsenic at levels higher than approved for state water.  Judge John Shepard Wiley noted that the wine producers correctly argued that they were in compliance with the Prop. 65 regulatory program.  The government has not ruled regarding small amounts of arsenic in wine posing a threat to consumers.  In fact, arsenic is a naturally occurring element found in air, soil and water and is present in most foods and beverages.

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario, Canada, has the strictest standards regarding trace amounts of arsenic allowable in wine, yet the California wine named in the suit with the highest level of arsenic was only half of Canada’s standard of 100 parts per billion for wine.

When the lawsuit was publicized last March, it led to a lot of hyperbole and hysteria.  However, the wine industry did not take a hit with sales increasing 2.5 percent.  While the wine industry is celebrating the dismissal, the plaintiffs’ lawyers say they will appeal.