‘still rather have that than Dasani or aquafina’: Expert exposes Walmart’s Great Value water

A water expert exposes Walmart's Great Value water as including contaminants you may want to avoid.

In a viral TikTok, water quality advocate Oasis (@oasiswaterapp) issues a warning for folks who may be particularly fond of water from retailers like Walmart and Costco.

How clean is Walmart bottled water?

"To everyone that drinks Walmart water out there, it might not be as clean as you think," he says to start the video. Behind him is a screenshot of Walmart Great Value water.

"Turns out there are five total contaminants in the water with two extremely above our health guidelines," he says. "Their spring water is packed with microplastics, has a Ph of 6, but did test negative for PFAs."

He continues, "The highest contaminant was bromate, which can increase the risk of kidney and thyroid cancers if consumed too much, along with radium T36 and T38, which again was below the legal limit, but the legal limit does not take many health guidelines and experts into account. Because it is a spring water it does come with a small amount of natural minerals."

He also highlights that the app shows where different brands of water are bottled. Different brands can come from similar sources and have similar compositions.

"Interestingly they use the same bottling company as Costco Kirkland water, so you're getting the same quality as you'd get there," he says. "Their distilled water is a bit cleaner because it's distilled which removes nearly all contaminants. However, this means the water is super processed and because it comes in plastic this one is still packed with many microplastics. As you can see, there is still nitrate in this one."

Are these contaminants dangerous?

Now, this is not to say that bottled water is unsafe for most people to consume. Per the Centers for Disease Control, as long as bottlers follow established procedures, guidelines and regulations for how water can be sourced, treated and bottled, water will be safe to drink for just about anyone who is not already immunocompromised. Even then, folks with these concerns are simply advised to drink the more highly filtered versions of bottled water, such as distilled water.

Bottled water sales reached an all-time high as recently as 2021. That indicates consumers aren't shying away from bottled water as a source of hydration, despite the rise of reusable bottle companies like Stanley. Realistically, only about 16% of people expressed a negative or somewhat negative view of bottled water.

Viewers react to the review

Some viewers said they don't drink Great Value water for the quality. Rather, it is more out of necessity due to its low price point.

"Don’t worry, we didn’t think it was good water," one commenter wrote.

"Anything is better than the tap water where we live," another commenter wrote.

"Then find me a water where I can get 40 bottles for $7," a commenter wrote.

Others asked the account to explain where they can find quality water that does not contain microplastics, as it is difficult to avoid them in bottled water.

"So, how do we get clean water without microplastics?" one commenter wrote.

"Distilled water doesn’t have the natural minerals we need in water," another commenter wrote. "Which water do yall recommend that has little to 'none' contaminants? I’m assuming switch to glass to avoid microplastics?"

"No way, microplastics, in my plastic bottle, what?" a commenter wrote. "How? Looks like we gotta go back to drinking from rivers gang."

@oasiswaterapp Do you drink Walmart Great Value water? #walmart #water #oasis ♬ CHIHIRO Aaron Hibell remix - Aaron Hibell

The Daily Dot reached out to Oasis via email regarding the video, as well as to Walmart and Costco via contact forms.

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