The temperature will approach 100 degrees today in New York City. Whew! Sweet William and I filled the wading pool first thing after breakfast.
As I uncoiled the hose, I remembered HealthyStuff.org’s recent study of lead and phthalates in garden equipment. Researchers tested 179 common garden products, including hoses, gloves, and kneeling pads. More than two-thirds of the products contained high levels of one or more chemical hazards.
100% of the products tested for phthalates contained four phthalate plasticizers that are currently banned in children’s products.
33% of water hoses contained lead in excess of the lead content standards in the federal Safe Drinking Water Standard.
Water sampled from one of the hoses contained 18-times more lead than the federal drinking water standard.
What can you do?
• Don’t drink from the hose! That goes for pets, too.
• Store your hose in the shade. Heat increases the leaching of chemicals into the water.
• Let the water run for a minute before you use it, as the water sitting in the hose will have the highest levels of chemicals.
• Buy a lead-free hose. Look for hoses intended for RV or marine use.
• Be suspicious of brass connectors. Some contain greater than 2,500 ppm lead. Non-brass fittings are more likely to be lead-free.
Read more about the study at HealthyStuff.org.
P.S. Sweet William’s PVC-free pool is from Step2. He’s wearing Hanna Andersson’s Swimmy Rash Guard Suit, which offers 99% UVA/UVB protection. His recycled plastic tugboat is from Green Toys.
I'm a writer and the mother of William and Fergus. Before dedicating my work to children's environmental health, I earned an MA in Cultural Reporting and Criticism from New York University and was a photography editor at The New Yorker. My family is preparing to move to New Orleans, where my husband, an architect, is building us a non-toxic home.
Nicely done! Angela recommended your site to me, and your work lives up to her praises. Thank you for a thoughtful site with helpful content.