Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Don't Drink From the Garden Hose!

We are finally getting some hot weather up here. It's supposed to get up to 32°C (90°F) in the next couple days! Now for us that's getting real hot. We start wearing sandals and shorts once the snow melts so now it's time to whip out the bathing suits and go swimming in freezing lakes. Hurrah!

Now that sun and heat are here I have to water my gardens and rabbits more regularly. Which brings me to the topic at hand.... garden hoses. Yes, garden hoses, those long tubes that make watering easier (minus those annoying kinks). I would have never given a second thought to my garden hose except that I happened to taste the water coming out of it - yuck and YUCK! I couldn't believe that this is what our rabbits drink (which we eat) and what our plants absorb (which we eat)!

So here's a little FYI: Most garden hoses are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which contain lead. Over time the lead leaches into the water creating lovely lead laced water that's slurped up by thirsty rabbits and vegetables - did I mention we eat these things? So while I'm ditching all our brightly coloured toys from China in fear of lead contamination I've been happily watering away with lead laced water - ah the irony :)

Colorite Element ELLF58050 Pure and Simple Lead Free, Kink Free 5/8-Inch-by-50-Foot Garden Hose,TurquoiseBut no fear - no one needs to start hauling water, just get a new garden hose! Today I went out and picked up a Colorite Element Pure and Simple Lead Free garden hose from Home Depot. This hose is lead free, drinking water safe and has stainless steal couplings. I was a little concerned about their "Bacteria Barrier with Protective Materials" claim so I phone up their customer service. It's not coated in Triclosan (phew!) but uses Agion (silver ions) as an antimicrobial agent. According to their material safety data sheet it's safe. I wonder if it leaches into the water?

Anyways...now I've got a fancy new turquoise lead free garden hose.
at

4 comments:

  1. AnonymousJuly 8, 2010 at 5:18 AM

    Funnily enough, my co-worker was worried about the same thing. Now I work (and he lives) in a big city, although he is originally from china. He worried about watering his tomato plants with water from the hose. (He was also worried about the cost of watering them). His solution?

    He decided to dig a well. By hand.

    Some co-workers and I had to explain that such activities would probably not go over very well with the city. :)
    I suggested a rain barrel as an alternative, but this lead-free hose would work as well :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mrs.TJuly 8, 2010 at 1:34 PM

    hmm...we were also at Home Depot last night looking at the exact same hoses! funny....

    ReplyDelete
  3. JoséeJuly 8, 2010 at 3:11 PM

    I can't believe that co-worker decided to dig a well by hand! Oh my! The rain barrel is a much better idea.

    ReplyDelete
  4. hose adaptersSeptember 20, 2010 at 6:23 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

I would love to hear your friendly thoughts.