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Drinking Water From a Hose
Is It Safe to Drink Water From a Hose?
How Dangerous
Is Hose Water?
By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
It's a hot summer day and the
cool water from the garden hose or sprinkler seems so inviting. Yet, you've
been warned not to drink it. How dangerous could it be?
The truth is, the warning is
based on fact. Do not drink water from the hose.
Garden hoses,
unlike plumbing inside your home, aren't manufactured to deliver safe
drinking water.
In addition to bacteria, mold,
and possibly the odd frog, the water from a garden hose typically contains the
following toxic chemicals:
· lead
· antimony
· bromine
· organotin
· phthalates
· BPA (bisphenol A)
Lead, BPA, and phthalates are
used in garden hoses mainly to stabilize the plastics.
The most common plastic
is polyvinyl chloride, which may release toxic vinyl chloride.
Antimony and bromine are
components of flame retardant chemicals.
A study conducted by
the Ecology Center in Ann Arbor, M.I. (healthystuff.org), found lead
levels exceeded the safety limits set by the Safe Water Drinking Act in
100% of the garden hoses they tested.
A third of the hoses contained
organotin, which disrupts the endocrine system.
Half the hoses contained
antimony, which is linked to liver, kidney, and other organ damage.
All of the randomly selected
hoses contained extremely high levels of phthalates, which can lower
intelligence, damage the endocrine system, and cause behavioral changes.
How to Reduce the Risk
The water from a hose isn't
safe for you to drink, it's not good for your pets, and it might transfer nasty
chemicals to garden produce. So, what can you do to reduce the risk?
· Let the water run. The worst
of the contamination comes from water that has been sitting in the hose a
while. If you let the water run for a few minutes, you'll greatly reduce the
number of toxins.
· Store the hose in a dark, cool
place. Sunlight and warmer temperatures increase the rate of degradation of the
polymers and leaching of undesirable chemicals into the water.
· You can slow down these
processes by protecting the hose from excess light and heat.
· Switch to a safer hose.
Natural rubbers hoses are available that are manufactured without toxic
plasticizers.
Read the label when selecting
a new garden hose and choose one that says it has a low environmental impact or
is safe for drinking water (potable water).
While these hoses are safe to
use, it's still a good idea to let the water run a few minutes to remove
undesirable chemicals or pathogens on the surface of the hose.
· Be mindful of the fixture.
Most outdoor plumbing fixtures are brass, which is not regulated to deliver potable
water and usually contain lead.
No matter how safe your hose
may be, be aware the water may still contain heavy metal contamination from the
faucet.
Most of this contamination is
removed once the water has run through the fixture, but this is the water
furthest from the end of the hose.
It's worth repeating: If you
must drink from the hose, let the water run before taking a sip.
Anne
Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Chemistry
Expert
Education
Ph.D.,
Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
B.A.,
Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College
Introduction
Ph.D.
in biomedical sciences from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville - Oak
Ridge National Laboratory.
Science
educator with experience teaching chemistry, biology, astronomy, and physics at
the high school, college, and graduate levels.
ThoughtCo
and About Education chemistry expert since 2001.
Widely-published
graphic artist, responsible for printable periodic tables and other
illustrations used in science.
Experience
Anne
Helmenstine, Ph.D. has covered chemistry for ThoughtCo and About Education
since 2001, and other sciences since 2013. She taught chemistry, biology,
astronomy, and physics at the high school, college, and graduate levels. She
has worked as a research scientist and also abstracting and indexing diverse
scientific literature for the Department of Energy.
In
addition to her work as a science writer, Dr. Helmenstine currently serves as a
scientific consultant, specializing in problems requiring an interdisciplinary
approach. Previously, she worked as a research scientist and college professor.
Education
Dr.
Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of
Tennessee at Knoxville and a B.A. in physics and mathematics with a minor in
chemistry from Hastings College. In her doctoral work, Dr. Helmenstine
developed ultra-sensitive chemical detection and medical diagnostic tests.
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