The bad news is your garden hose may be hazardous to your health. Many hoses are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which uses lead as a stabiliser.When water sits in a PVC hose, lead can leach into the water in concentrations that, according to tests conducted by Consumer Reports, can reach 10 to 100 times the allowable lead levels.
PVC hoses often carry a warning sign that cause cancer and birth defects and other reproductive harm.” Unfortunately this is often on printed either in a microscopic font or on the underside of the label, which you can’t see until you get the hose home and open it. Worse news is that some hoses that leach lead don't even have a warning.
Lead is a huge health threat that, tragically, is particularly hazardous for children under the age of six, because it can permanently damage developing brains and nervous systems.
It appears that plants don’t generally a absorb lead, unless there is a high concentration of it in the soil. Particularly because one of the truly nasty things about lead is that if you don’t do anything about it, it hangs around in soil for an awfully long time.
You can buy hoses that are lead free. They are made from approved materials and the fittings are often nickel plated, because brass can also leach lead. They are labelled "drink-safe," or "safe for potable water." Check your hoses condition and use it safely.
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