Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola has been forced to withdraw its entire Dasani range of bottled water from British shelves after detecting illegal levels of Bromate, reports The Times, London.

About 500,000 bottles are being recalled after the bromate levels exceeded British legal standards. The Food Standards Agency, however, said there was no 'immediate risk to public health'.

"Coca-Cola, the makers of Dasani, informed the Food Standards Agency yesterday that some samples of their bottled water product, Dasani, have been found to contain bromate at higher levels than are legally permitted in the UK

for either bottled or tap water," an FSA spokeswoman said. 

"Coca-Cola has advised the agency that they are immediately withdrawing the product from sale. This is a sensible measure by the company as bromate is a chemical that could cause an increased cancer risk as a result of long-term exposure, although there is no immediate risk to public health.

"However, the Agency understands that some consumers may choose not to drink any Dasani they purchased prior to its withdrawal, given the levels of bromate it contains."

Experts said bromate is produced during the purification process of water.

Agencies