Why Water From Purifier Left Chinese Woman With A Damaged Liver

A Chinese woman who had been drinking wastewater for five years due to a pipe mix-up suffered liver damage. Ms Li from Shanghai claimed to have experienced irregular periods for the previous six months and reportedly suffered minimal liver damage, which was confirmed during a hospital visit a month ago,  South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

"No wonder I've had diarrhoea so often in recent years and had abnormal results in my check-ups. I never suspected the issue could be with the water source," Ms Liu said.

She added the wastewater, which contains plenty of chemical materials, might have harmed her health. "But I do not have evidence to prove the connection between the wastewater and my health issues," she added.

In September 2020, Li got a water purifier installed by Xiaomi, the top consumer goods producer in China. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that she purchased a "water quality pen" equipment and noticed anomalies.

The tester revealed the water coming from her purifier was worse than what the tap provided.

The purifier's water had a density of 600, more than twice that of the tap water, per the device that measures TDS (total dissolved solids), a crucial indicator of purity.

There are reportedly 321 mg/L of TDS in the tap water in her region. And, the purifier's manufacturer claims the machine's water should have TDS levels of 24 mg/L. However, Ms Liu was appalled when the tester reported 607 mg/L.

She called a technician and found the two pipes had been connected incorrectly by the first technician. It meant the cleaned water was discharged into the sewer, but the "concentrated water," a type of wastewater, was what Ms Liu drank in the last five years.

According to reports, the purifier's manufacturer assured to pay Ms Liu back the full price she paid for the device. But she rejected the offer of a settlement. She is currently seeking medical evidence that the plumbing error was the actual cause of her illnesses.

Xiaomi agreed to replace a filter element in the machine, said a Xiaomi employee with the last name Zhang. The company is currently debating how to handle the situation. Zhang claimed the employee who initially installed the purifier five years ago left the company and was unreachable.