Inset: Addie Coggs (Dignity Memorial). Background: Real Water products, which were found by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to allegedly contain samples of hydrazine, a toxin that can trigger conditions like ALS (FDA).
A Nevada woman allegedly developed ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, after consuming bottled water purchased from Costco that reportedly contained a chemical used in rocket fuel, which is recognized as a liver toxin, according to a lawsuit filed by her family.
The lawsuit claims, “Due to the defective nature and the lack of proper warnings on the defendants’ bottled water products, Addie suffered severe health issues, including ALS, which ultimately led to her death.” The legal complaint by Addie Coggs’ family states that she bought and consumed the bottled water from retailers.
The complaint, reviewed by Law&Crime, targets Real Water, a brand marketed as the “healthiest drinking water available,” along with its majority owner, Affinitylifestyles.com Inc. It alleges their water products contained hydrazine, “a toxin known to potentially trigger ALS,” according to the filing.
A 2021 report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revealed that an investigation found the company’s facilities were not compliant with preventive controls necessary to manage food hazards. Following this, Real Water agreed to discontinue its operations in June 2021.
Coggs, who was 49 and lived in Las Vegas, passed away on September 10, 2019, due to complications from ALS. She left behind six children.
The lawsuit further claims, “As a direct consequence of hydrazine in the defendants’ bottled water, Addie developed ALS and subsequently died.” The complaint also states that Coggs is believed to have purchased and consumed Real Water from Costco and WinCo Foods.
ALS is described in the complaint as a “fatal disease of the brain and spinal cord that causes motor neurons to die.” The disease causes a breakdown of nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain, leading to the progressive loss of muscle control.
“It results in the inability to move, speak, swallow and eventually breathe,” the complaint says. “It is 100% fatal.”
Coggs’ family says she had no other significant chemical or physical exposure associated with ALS before her diagnosis. The hydrazine that was found in Real Water products was the result of “massive electrical charges” being applied to Real Water concentrate “two different times for eight hours,” according to the complaint.
“Water was passed through titanium tubes that were attached to negative and positive charges,” the document alleges. “The titanium tubes had a diaphragm that separated positively and negatively charged water. Experts believe that the electrification of the titanium tubes while the water containing potassium and magnesium passed through the titanium tubes is how the hydrazine was formed.”
The chemical is found in rocket fuel, with F-16 fighter jets using a “70% aqueous solution (h-70) of hydrazine that powers the F-16 emergency power unit,” per the complaint.
“Because of the inherent flaws in the manufacturing process described above and the failure to conduct standard ingredient testing, Real Water made unsafe water that contained hydrazine and caused numerous persons to have liver failure in Las Vegas,” the complaint charges. “Including the plaintiffs in this lawsuit, plaintiffs are informed and believe that at least 90 other persons that suffered injury from consuming Real Water have already filed suit; including four death cases … two liver transplant cases … one brain surgery case, multiple miscarriages, over one dozen cases of planned liver transplants being aborted at the last minute at out-of-state transplant medical centers and scores of cases of hospitalization in ICUs for four to twelve days.”
Photos included in the complaint allegedly show Real Water products inside Coggs’ home before her diagnosis and death. Attorney Will Kemp, who is representing the family and has handled other lawsuits against Real Water, spoke to the Las Vegas Review-Journal about the Coggs lawsuit.
“Addie drank Real Water, it triggered ALS, and she died of Lou Gehrig’s disease,” Kemp told the local newspaper, describing ALS as a “horrible way to go.”
“Hydrazine is the same rocket fuel that was used to launch the Apollo rocket to the moon in 1969,” he said. “It’s well-known to be a liver toxic, which is why, in many of these Real Water lawsuits, you’ve seen liver cases, people who died because their livers were attacked. Hydrazine is also an environmental toxin that triggers ALS.”
Costco Wholesale Corp. has settled lawsuits related to Real Water in the past, according to the Review-Journal. A retired Nevada Supreme Court justice sued Real Water last year claiming the water caused the ALS that reportedly killed her husband.
Affinitylifestyles.com and Costco did not respond to Law&Crime’s requests for comment.
