Should My Toxic Garden Hose Be Replaced?

There is no safe limit for lead ingestion - it can be harmful at any concentration. So why is it that garden hoses contain lead? None of the nasty chemicals found in hoses are necessary, and the good news is that the industry and retailers are moving toward cleaner, non-toxic varieties. 

But as usual, it is buyer beware, because our system encourages producers to cut corners and maximize profits, even at the expense of the health of you, your family, and our planetary life support system.

Hoses can also be a dangerous soup of other unwanted ingredients that have been shown, in some situations, to leach into the water passing through them. 

Water sampled from hoses after they were left in the sun for two days contained  levels of BPA, phthalates, and lead, all above standard approved drinking water limits. 

Most cheaper hoses are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which uses lead as a stabilizer. The fittings are often made of brass, which can contain as much as 8% lead. 

Lead has been shown to build up in the body from even low levels of exposure, and causes all kinds of trouble once there.

But wait! There's more. 


Some cheap hoses contain chemicals associated with e-waste, none of which you want on your vegetables, or on your grass where your kids and pets play.

Information I have read on the topic ranges from alarmist - "kill your toxic hose now", to a more complacent attitude of "don't worry about it, there are far more poisonous things to worry about". Hardly reassuring. 

What is a gardener to do? 

The best case scenario would see all hoses containing toxic ingredients being replaced with alternatives that are drink-safe. Natural rubber is recommended, as well as plastic hoses that are rated "drink-safe". 

These hoses have fittings plated in nickel, which is lead-free, meaning cleaner water for your veggies.

For now, I will keep my two cheap hoses which are only 3 years old and still in good shape. However, I will also follow a few rules to minimize the risk of spraying chemicals all over my vegetable garden.

1. Always wrap up hoses after use, and store inside in a cool, dark place. Or store in an outside location shaded from direct sunlight. 
2. If the hose has been in the sun for a while, run the water for a minute before watering your garden. 
3. Never drink from a non-drink water safe hose.  
4. Take action - let manufacturers and retailers know that you will NOT tolerate dangerous chemicals in your garden hoses. 

None of the toxic chemicals are necessary in any hose, and they only benefit the seller's bottom line. That is why they are in hoses in the first place. I guess they don't care that their consumer goods are poisoning us and the planet. What a system.

Eventually, when my current hose is at the end of its life, I will pay more and buy a new safer hose for my vegetable garden. Polyurethane and other non-vinyl hoses, like rubber, are much less likely to contain chemicals of concern.

Always check the label when buying a new hose. If it does not list the material, it is most likely of the toxic variety.

But what should you do with your old cheap potentially toxic hose, either right away, or when it reaches the end of its life? From what I have found out, they should probably be delivered to a toxic waste disposal site along with your old paint and spent batteries. 

 “We now know vinyl garden hoses may leach toxic phthalates and BPA into water. 

It’s time for retailers like Home Depot and Wal-Mart to safeguard our children’s health and phase out the use of these poison plastic vinyl hoses.” 

- Mike Schade, Center for Health, Environment & Justice

Canada Not Buying Anything Containing Bishpenol-A

Last week Statistics Canada reported that 91% of people tested had toxic bisphenol-A in their urine. Disturbingly, the highest concentrations were in children. In 2008 Environment Canada banned BPA-laced baby bottles. Shortly after that France followed suit. Now Canada is ready to declare BPA a toxic substance and ban its use in any consumer products, becoming the first country in the world to do so.

Bisphenol-A is used to harden plastics and is found everywhere, from the plastic linings of tin cans to water bottles, plastic food wrap, and some plastic containers. There are also many non-food uses for BPA plastic such as CDs and DVDs, and sunglasses. Research has linked this all-pervasive chemical to hormonal and neurological issues. It is often identified as #7 plastic, and is associated with diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer, and developmental problems in children's brains and hormonal systems.

The American Chemistry Council is already pleading with Environment Canada not to declare their product toxic, but the Minister of Environment, Jim Prentice, is not being swayed by their pursuit of profit over safety. It is not known exactly when, but the ban will be implemented.

Many are accusing those in the chemical industry of attempting to sabotage the implementation of public policy meant to protect us from the nasty toxic cocktail developed to give us 'better living with chemistry". Some of the tactics being used are: developing blue ribbon panels, constructing studies with pre-conceived outcomes, and publishing white papers in order to convince the public of the safety of controversial chemicals.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported that it would be virtually impossible for the average person to ingest enough BPA to be dangerous. But this finding was discredited when it was discovered that the agency had ignored the advice of its own scientists and allowed representatives of the chemical industry to write significant portions of the final document.

“There are an estimated 85,000 chemicals in the stream of commerce, and very little is known about most of them. The health effects of almost half the major industrial chemicals have not been studied at all. Of those that have been studied, approximately 1,400 chemicals with known links to cancer, birth defects, reproductive impacts and other health problems are still in use today.”

- Californians for a Healthy and Green Economy (CHANGE)

It is good to see that Canada is leading the way to make sure that in the future we will not be buying anything containing toxic BPA. Undoubtedly this will lead the way for more nations to press the chemical industry for the truth about BPA and other products, which will end up making our lives better without chemicals, or at least, better with less harmful chemicals.

In the meantime, you can reduce exposure to BPA in the following ways:

• limit your use of foods packaged in plastic lined cans (canned pasta and soups appear to have the highest levels of BPA)
  
• use a stainless steel water bottle (without a liner)
  
• do not heat food in plastic containers in the microwave
• use powdered baby formula instead of pre-mixed liquids (liquid formula contains more BPA)
• buy products in glass bottles or non-plastic lined containers
• do not use BPA plastic baby bottles
• do not use #7 polycarbonite (PC) bottles for hot liquids
• #1, 2, and 4 plastics do NOT contain BPA
• avoid using old, scratched water bottles