Does your garden hose contain lead?
Categories: Safety
Last week I went to the local nursery with my daughter, Willow, to get a few things for the yard. We got a new sprinkler, a new garden hose, and a garden hose winder-upper with a handle because I'm done being the only person who ever loops it back up onto the wall-mounted holder.
Willow really wanted to get her bathing suit on and test out the new sprinkler in the front yard, so we got the new garden hose and sprinkler out and hooked everything up. The hose was packaged in a thin cardboard wrap-around label, and I noticed that part of the printing inside that label said, "WARNING!"
Warning? I thought, what's it going to say, Don't wrap around neck?
Turns out, the warning was actually warranted. The garden hose we bought (and it wasn't the cheapest on the shelf, either) contains lead. The warning on the label said not to drink from it, and to wash your hands after handling it.
Wow.
Since lead poisoning is not something to mess around with, I was really surprised that I hadn't known that garden hoses could be a lead hazard. I don't think my kids drink from the hose, but they love to play in the water. If we had a vegetable garden, we'd water ours with the hose. The bullfrogs in the backyard, and the lizard that lives in the house (that is a whole 'nother post in itself) all have hose water in their enclosures.
There are lead-free hoses on the market, of course. I think whether or not you are directly exposed to the water coming from your garden hose, the best choice for the planet and all the beings who inhabit it is to make sure your garden hose doesn't contain lead.
Have I been living under a rock? Does this news surprise any of you, too?
Willow really wanted to get her bathing suit on and test out the new sprinkler in the front yard, so we got the new garden hose and sprinkler out and hooked everything up. The hose was packaged in a thin cardboard wrap-around label, and I noticed that part of the printing inside that label said, "WARNING!"
Warning? I thought, what's it going to say, Don't wrap around neck?
Turns out, the warning was actually warranted. The garden hose we bought (and it wasn't the cheapest on the shelf, either) contains lead. The warning on the label said not to drink from it, and to wash your hands after handling it.
Wow.
Since lead poisoning is not something to mess around with, I was really surprised that I hadn't known that garden hoses could be a lead hazard. I don't think my kids drink from the hose, but they love to play in the water. If we had a vegetable garden, we'd water ours with the hose. The bullfrogs in the backyard, and the lizard that lives in the house (that is a whole 'nother post in itself) all have hose water in their enclosures.
There are lead-free hoses on the market, of course. I think whether or not you are directly exposed to the water coming from your garden hose, the best choice for the planet and all the beings who inhabit it is to make sure your garden hose doesn't contain lead.
Have I been living under a rock? Does this news surprise any of you, too?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kate 5-29-2007 @ 3:19PM
That really surprises me!! First, our children's lunchboxes, and now hoses?? I shudder to think that for years I've used our hose to fill our daughter's wading pool. And watered our organic garden with! It's crazy; WHY do our standards allow such a thing? Thanks for enlightening us; I'm going to go search the web for lead-free hoses right now....
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Ann Adams 5-29-2007 @ 6:31PM
I've been living under a rock too. We've watered the lawn where they play let them get wet under the hose, and when they were smaller, we filled the pool.
And, not that I encouraged it, but I know they drank out of the hose because that's what kids do.
Yikes!! I have to replace our hose next week and I'll be sure to read the labels. Thanks.
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Dhalver Xeno 5-30-2007 @ 8:28AM
Ok. So we've got baby bottles and toys leaching bisphenol A, crib mattresses filled with PVC, DEHP, and PDBEs, lead lined lunchboxes, toxic car booster seats, and now garden hoses. *sigh* Yet another one to add to the list. As a soon to be parent, the more I research, the more freaked out I become.
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Mama C-ta 5-30-2007 @ 9:49AM
Off to check the 3 new hoses I just bought before Cricket drinks anymore water from them...
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ikate 5-30-2007 @ 4:10PM
I was just thinking, "tonight will be the perfect night to let my 8 year old try out her new splash pool". I guess only if I fill it with water from inside!
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ikate 5-30-2007 @ 4:11PM
oops! I meant 8 MONTH old.
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Rachel 7-12-2007 @ 8:58AM
The reason it's not been brought up is the amount of lead in a hose isn't high enough to worry about the only reason it would be a problem is if your house has excess to combine with the hose. They bring it up so you don't have your kids out drinking from it all day or if you have a prob. with your house having too much lead. But to be honest money newer houses don't have lead in them so it's not enough to worrie about they just by law tell you it has lead just like when you move into a house built before the 60's they have to tell you there could be lead in the house paint. Even if there isn't enough or the walls have been repainted they HAVE to tell you there is the possablitie.
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Rachel 7-12-2007 @ 8:57AM
They do have lead free water hoses if you want to worry about it...if it was too much in the leaded hoses they wouldn't be on the market.
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Randy 7-12-2007 @ 10:37AM
Don't worry, it isn't really bad enough to hurt you? Good Morning America reported this AM that they took water from a water hose to the lab and found that it contained 20 times(I think I have this figure correct) the amount of allowable lead as per U.S. standards. No thanks, I do not want my grand children drinking this! In small letters, on the back of the label, "wash hands after touching". Thousands of children across the world are are being exposed to this. Who has been watching the store?
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FunkyCold 7-12-2007 @ 1:49PM
I just saw a news report on our local news here in Dallas, TX today, July 12, 2007, regarding this. Really worrisome, considering I've let my daughter play in the water with one of those "water snake" attachments that lets them run through the the little fountains of water. News story said that the hose manufacturers are supposed to abide by a regulation forcing them to come into safe compliance with the PVC tubing such as found on these hoses by July 31, 2007. I, personally, will not let my daughter play or drink the water from these hoses ever again just to be safe. It was bad enough learning of the PVC vinyl used in many kids' toys such as backpacks, lunchboxes, etc. that contained lead and now this. Beware, be wary.
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MikeTheSkeptic 7-13-2007 @ 11:52AM
It's all George Bush's fault!
Actually, as a person that used to inspect water tanks for a living, you'd be surprised by all of the nasty stuff that you'll find in your typical municipal water tank. That's why drinking water is so heavily treated before it ever makes it to your house. The EPA web site has a great listing of naturally occurring substances and man-made additives that you might find in your drinking water: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/contaminants/index.html
Also, there is an organization called NSF (http://www.nsf.org/consumer/) that is a leader in fighting for safe and sanitary drinking water that you may also want to check out if you are concerned.
My advice? Don't panic. Follow the advice of the Consumer Reports article and flush your hose before you use it for watering your garden or filling your kiddie pool. Or else go buy some low-lead hose and move on.
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