LOS ANGELES (KRON)– A class action lawsuit filed in Los Angeles claims that some California wines have up to five times the amount of arsenic allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency.
A Denver lab ran tests on about 1,300 different wines.
Among them was Charles Shaw wine sold at Trader Joe’s.
In that test, the Charles Shaw white zinfandel blend came in at three times the arsenic limit that’s considered safe for water. Charles Shaw wasn’t the only wine that didn’t test well.
A bottle of Menage A Trois moscato was tested. It came back with four times the safe limit for water.
While there were exceptions, in general, the cheaper the wine, the higher the arsenic level.
Long term exposure to high levels of arsenic can cause serious health problems.
There is some good news, though; the United States doesn’t have an arsenic standard for wine, but Canada does.
The highest level of arsenic in any California wines is only half of the Canadian limit of 100 parts per billion.
Here’s a list of the wines listed in the lawsuit:
Acronym’s GR8RW Red Blend 2011
Almaden’s Heritage White Zinfandel
Almaden’s Heritage Moscato
Almaden’s Heritage White Zinfandel
Almaden’s Heritage Chardonnay
Almaden’s Mountain Burgundy
Almaden’s Mountain Rhine
Almaden’s Mountain Chablis
Arrow Creek’s Coastal Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Bandit’s Pinot Grigio
Bandit’s Chardonnay
Bandit’s Cabernet Sauvignon
Bay Bridge’s Chardonnay
Beringer’s White Merlot 2011
Beringer’s White Zinfandel 2011
Beringer’s Red Moscato
Beringer’s Refreshingly Sweet Moscato
Charles Shaw White Zinfandel 2012
Colores del Sol’s Malbec 2010
Glen Ellen by Concannon’s Glen Ellen REserve Pinot Grigio 2012
Concannon’s Selected Vineyards Pinot Noir 2011
Glen Ellen by Concannon’s Glen Ellen Reserve Merlot 2010
Cook’s Spumante
Corbett Canyon’s Pinot Grigio
Corbett Canyon’s Cabernet Sauvignon
Cupcake’s Malbec 2011
Fetzer’s Moscato 2010
Fetzer’s Pinot Grigio 2011
Fisheye Pinot Grigio 2012
Flipflop’s Pinot Grigio 2012
Flipflop’s Moscato
Flipflop’s Cabernet Sauvignon
Foxhorn’s White Zinfandel
Franzia’s Vintner Select White Grenache
Franzia’s Vintner Select White Zinfandel
Franzia’s Vintner Select White Merlot
Franzia’s Vintner Select Burgundy
Hawkstone’s Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
HRM Rex Goliath’s Moscato
Korbel’s Sweet Rose Sparkling Wine
Korbel’s Extra Dry Sparkling Wine
Menage a Trois’ Pinot Grigio 2011
Menage a Trois’ Moscato 2010
Menage a Trois’ White Blend 2011
Menage a Trois’ Chardonnay 2011
Menage a Trois’ Rose 2011
Menage a Trois’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Menage a Trois’ California Red Wine 2011
Mogen David’s Concord
Mogen David’s Blackberry Wine
Oak Leaf’s White Zinfandel
Pomelo’s Sauvignon Blanc 2011
R Collection by Raymond’s Chardonnay 2012
Richards Wild Irish Rose’s Red Wine
Seaglass’s Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Simply Naked’s Moscato 2011
Smoking Loon’s Viognier 2011
Sutter Home’s Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Sutter Home’s Gewurztraminer 2011
Sutter Home’s Pink Moscato
Sutter Home’s Pinot Grigio 2011
Sutter Home’s Moscato
Sutter Home’s Chenin Blanc 2011
Sutter Home’s Sweet Red 2010
Sutter Home’s Riesling 2011
Sutter Home’s White Merlot 2011
Sutter Home’s Merlot 2011
Sutter Home’s White Zinfandel 2011
Sutter Home’s White Zinfandel 2012
Sutter Home’s Zinfandel 2010
Trapiche’s Malbec 2012
Tribuno’s Sweet Vermouth
Vendange’s Merlot
Vendange’s White Zinfandel
Wine Cube’s Moscato
Wine Cube’s Pink Moscato 2011
Wine Cube’s Pinot Grigio 2011
Wine Cube’s Pinot Grigio
Wine Cube’s Chardonnay 2011
Wine Cube’s Chardonnay
Wine Cube’s Red Sangria
Wine Cube’s Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Wine Cube’s Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz 2011
(Wines listed without specific years are non-vintage which means the grapes used did not come from a single year.)