China Coca-Cola Plant Shut Down on Chlorine Fears

A Shanxi province beverage plant owned by Coca-Cola was shut down by regulators after chlorine was found in a batch of drinks made in February. The chlorine levels were reported by a whistleblower employee, according to Xinhua.

An April inspection uncovered a batch of drinks produced by Coca-Cola Beverage Ltd. that was made with water containing chlorine, according to a statement from the Shanxi Provincial Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision. It did not say when production would be allowed to resume.

Only trace levels of chlorine just below the national standard for purified water in China of 0.005 miligrams per liter were found in a batch made between Feb. 4 and Feb. 8, said a Coca-Cola spokeswoman. That level of chlorine was below World Health Organization limits for drinking water and didn’t affect the safety of any product, she added.

The plan’s suspension doesn’t affect the rest of the company’s vast operations in China which accounts for 7% of the company’s total revenues. During the first quarter China operations posted a 9% sales growth. Coca-Cola plans to invest $4 billion in China over the next three years.

Chlorine occurs naturally and is used around the world to purify water of bacteria but is hazardous to human in higher concentrations.