The Changping district people's court will hear the case against a water-magnetizing tap from a Hong Kong company this afternoon.
The plaintiff named Zhao Changcheng, a resident who suffers from bronchitis in Northern Beijing's Changping district, bought a water-magnetizing tap for 3,000 yuan in January 2009.
The defendant named Liu Dexing, who claimed to represent the Hong Kong Jinkeweiye Technology Company, claimed the tap had many health benefits and could cure Zhao's bronchitis.
"The tap has no medical function at all," Zhao told METRO. "The seller told me to drink cold water from the water-magnetizing tap between 3 am and 5 am during winter. I soon suffered from stomachache and diarrhea."
"The seller said the symptoms were natural reactions and instructed me to continue drinking," Zhao added.
Zhao was then diagnosed with shingles because of a compromised immune system due to drinking untreated water.
His bronchitis was not alleviated at all, according to the medical report.
Tap water is not suitable for drinking in the capital as well as other cities in the country.
However, Liu claimed the tap has received a quality certificate from the government and few problems had been reported.
"The water-magnetizing tap is the product of a national research investment initiative. It magnetizes water and eliminates bacteria so that the water can be drunk directly," Liu said.
The company confirmed they developed the water-magnetizing tap but did not confirm that it cured diseases.
"However, the magnetized water from the tap can improve the immune system and thus be helpful to diseases like diabetes and hypertension. Anyway, drinking more water is better to health," an employee surnamed Deng with the company said.
The website of the company details the benefits of the highly magnetized water, these range from reducing inflammation to anti-aging properties.
Most of the water-magnetizing taps were from Hong Kong. But after the Spring Festival this year the company authorized a factory in Fujian province to produce the tap and then sell them nationwide, as well as in countries including Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan, according to an agent surnamed Hu.
The original tap cost Zhao about 100 yuan and had been in place for about 10 years.
A common tap costs less than 100 yuan in the capital.
