Syria probes contaminated Tannourine water from Lebanon amid reports of market 'dumping'

Syria’s Health Ministry is investigating shipments of the Lebanese bottled water brand Tannourine after Lebanon and Qatar pulled the product from shelves over bacterial contamination concerns.

The move follows reports on Syria TV that trucks carrying Tannourine bottles were spotted in Damascus and Homs, sparking fears that contaminated batches withdrawn in Lebanon may have entered the Syrian market.

According to Syria TV, public concern grew after videos circulated online showing Tannourine water being sold in Syrian shops despite Lebanon’s suspension of the company’s operations. In one widely shared clip, a man can be heard saying, "They dumped Tannourine water in Lebanon and brought it into Syria".

The Syrian distributor, Ain al-Fajr, denied importing contaminated products and told the channel that all shipments "entered Syria after legal inspection in certified laboratories and under official supervision".

The company said it had submitted new samples for testing "to confirm that Tannourine water sold in Syria is safe and compliant with health standards".

As of Wednesday, the Syrian Health Ministry had not issued an official statement on the matter.

The controversy began in Lebanon, where the Ministry of Health on Monday suspended the sale and production of Tannourine bottled water after tests revealed traces of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium in some samples.

The ministry ordered the company to halt distribution and withdraw all affected batches until further notice, while expanding random inspections of bottled water produced by other firms.

Lebanese media outlets, including LBCI, reported that the bacterium was detected in several market samples and that Tannourine was instructed to disinfect production lines and storage facilities before resuming operations.

The ministry later clarified that the suspension was temporary pending fresh test results, but confirmed that initial lab findings showed bacterial contamination.

The crisis quickly spread beyond Lebanon. In Qatar, the Ministry of Public Health announced the withdrawal of Tannourine bottled water from local markets "as a precautionary measure".

Distributors were ordered to remove all stock immediately and send samples for testing at Qatar’s national food safety laboratories. Consumers were urged not to drink the water and to return bottles to points of sale.

The Lebanese manufacturer has not issued a public statement addressing the export issue. However, social media users in both Lebanon and Syria have questioned how large quantities of the brand reached Syrian markets so soon after the Lebanese recall, with some accusing distributors of attempting to offload unsellable stock across the border.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the bacterium found in some Tannourine samples, is commonly found in soil and water. It rarely causes illness in healthy people but can pose risks to individuals with weakened immune systems.