Buying bottled water from Costco? Expert warns why you probably shouldn't: "It comes from..."

Plastic pollution across the globe has increased to the extent that 12 million tonnes of plastic is entering our oceans and nanoplastics have even been found in the human brain. These particles can damage human cells and potentially impact the well-being of individuals, but experts have suggested a simple lifestyle choice for American consumers that could reduce the risk posed by nanoplastics. Costco, which has had to recall products due to the threat of salmonella and listeria, has been hit by a warning issued by water rating company Oasis also known as @live__oasis on TikTok. It has warned people against bottled water sold at Costco and called it unhealthy due to plastic pollution.

The Oasis water app rates different brands of bottled water based on the contaminants, sources, and processing of the water.  The company claims to be on a mission to connect people with “a healthier, cleaner source of water” by collecting data on water, brands, and filters. In a video, Cormac, who runs the account as per Daily Dot, warned viewers about the quality of the Kirkland brand of bottled water sold at Costco. He said that he was a "big Costco guy" until he learned that  Costco sources its bottled water from Niagra Bottling, LLC, which he says “is a huge bottle labeling service”. 

Cormac explained that since the water comes in a plastic bottle, it contains thousands of nanoplastics that can enter the consumers' “ blood-brain barrier.” According to CNN, nanoplastics measure about 1,000th of the average width of a human hair, and they enter through the tissues of the digestive tract or lungs into the bloodstream. These particles can potentially spread harmful synthetic chemicals throughout the body as well. 

In a 2024 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Columbia University found that bottled water sold in stores can contain 10 to 100 times more nanoplastic than previously estimated. While previous research found 300 nanoplastic particles per liter, the team in the latest study found the actual number in three popular brands of water to be between 110,000 and 370,000, if not higher. 

Coming to the harmful chemicals, Cormac said the water company's data shows that its product contains 10 times the Oasis guideline for total trihalomethanes. However, he mentioned that the levels were below the legal limits. He further mentioned that the treatment of the water was also a problem. “A major reason we docked this water is because it comes from municipal water supplies."

This means that has to go undergo a ton of treatments to even make it legally drinkable, making it very processed," Cormac says.  He claimed that the company "artificially" adds the minerals back after the treatment, and shoppers can check out the water report to verify the numbers themselves. Viewers were shocked to learn that the water from their favorite warehouse retailer was potentially bad for health. Several commented that they had been regular consumers of the brand. "Damn I’ve been drinking this since I was a kid," @qgarnett commented. 

However, some claimed that there was nothing wrong with the brand and the water citing alternate sources of information. "Wait a min. I had someone from an actual company come to my house not to test my Kirkland water 💦 but he did and it passed," @beyou76769 asserted. 

For more updates and such informative content, follow @live__oasis on TikTok.