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I see this and similar warnings on the attached labels on garden hoses because of toxic substances in the hose's lining and it has me wondering what am I ingesting if I'm using such a hose to water my vegetable garden?
Are there hoses that are safer than others? Does it even matter that much? Anyone have input on this?
Likely story ^^ LOL! Not a good idea to drink from anything attached to outdoor (hose bibs) faucets. Many used to use an asbestos packing in the nut around the stem. It can get into the water flow. Let's face it nothing is safe... Fluoride to chlorine to asbestos. Hunky charms etc...
Go to the hose aisle at the hardware store or big box store and you'll see hoses that are specifically advertised as safe for drinking water (potable). They cost more and I think the earlier poster is correct that they are usually white.
If you're not drinking from them, I wouldn't worry about them for watering your plants. It's not really safe to eat dirt either, but you eat veggies that grow in dirt all the time. Your plants can handle some trace amounts of whatever ending up in the dirt.
According to this study, every kid in my childhood neighborhood should be dead and all our Moms under arrest for child abuse. I wasn't allowed in the house to get a drink unless it was thundering and lightning, just rain was no excuse. If I didn't drink out of the hose, I would have died of thirst.
The water samples used in the study had been sealed in the hoses, which were left lying in the sun for three days before taking the water for analysis. Of course they were contaminated by chemicals from the hose. If you've been watering your yard or hosing off your driveway for a while and you get thirsty, I wouldn't worry about taking a short drink from the hose.
"Municipal drinking water was placed in a Companion (a Sears brand) Light Duty 50 foot garden hose (UPC 4712052443013) which was purchased in February 2012. The product packaging contained the Prop 65 hose warning. The hose was completely filled with water and each end was clamped-off to prevent water from contacting brass fitting. The hose was placed in a yard in full sunlight for three days (72 hours). The hose was unclamped and the water sample was directly collected from the hose into glass sample containers."
One problem is the lead that is found in the brass couplings. Another problem is letting water sit inside the hose in the sun for who knows how long and drinking from it.
If you are dying of thirst and find a garden hose somewhere, a good idea would be to run water thru it before drinking.
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