If you’re an avid consumer of Prime, you may want to think twice about drinking another bottle, or at least read this article first, then you can make an informed decision about whether or not you really want to drink it.
The company behind the popular energy drink brand has found itself at the center of a lawsuit thanks to the alleged presence of “forever chemicals” that have supposedly been found in certain products. I don’t think you even have to know what that is to know that it’s pretty bad — I mean, come on, who seriously wants to drink something called forever chemicals? Sounds like something you’d find in Fallout that would immediately irradiate you and then kill you. Anyways, here’s what you need to know about the lawsuit and the “forever chemicals.”
The Prime Hydration lawsuit explained
The lawsuit against the company, which was founded by YouTube influencers Logan Paul and KSI, was filed in August last year. It claims that the drinks, particularly the grape flavor, contain per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS); these are the aforementioned forever chemicals. The class action suit was filed by the Milberg Law Firm on behalf of Elizabeth Castillo and other plaintiffs. They are seeking $5 million from Prime Hydration and the case is ongoing, last week the company sought to dismiss Castillo’s claim.
What are “forever chemicals?”
So we know that Prime Hydration is in big trouble for the alleged presence of these chemicals, but what exactly are they? According to an article from the Mirror, these chemicals are often found in water, food packaging, and personal care products, so it’s not entirely uncommon to come into contact with them.
That being said, studies have reportedly shown that these chemicals do not break down, but rather stay present in the body and accumulate over time, now the name is starting to make sense. This can negatively affect the human body including the raising of cholesterol levels in the body, reducing the efficacy of the immune system, and even causing reproductive harm.
The Milberg Law Firm claims that it has only tested the grape flavor, so it’s possible that PFAS could be present in other flavors. USA Today reports that Prime Hydration is arguing that there have been no “cognizable” effects from drinking the product and therefore the case should be dismissed.
The alleged presence of PFAS could cause a lot of harm for Prime Hydration, leading to a decrease in sales and possibly even pulling the affected drinks off of shelves. Online people are already warning others to avoid the drink, like boxer Ryan Garcia, however, the company and its founders are fighting the accusations.
Prime Response
Although KSI has yet to address the lawsuit, Logan Paul responded today dispelling many of the claims made by Milberg in a three minute long TikTok, and he backs it up with a lot of research. According to Paul, the level of PFAS (he refers to them as PFOS in the video) found in the drink was actually below the limit for detection, meaning it can’t possibly be accurate.
Paul actually sums it up best when he says “anyone can sue anyone at any time, that does not make the lawsuit true.” We’ll have to wait until the courts come back with a verdict; then we’ll know for sure whether the energy drink is safe or not, until then, drink Prime at your own risk.