Vinyl garden hose swap to Drinking-water-safe hose

Why make the swap

• Why switch to drinking-water-safe hose

  In lab tests of garden hoses, many PVC hoses carried lead and phthalates, while the polyurethane hoses had none of the chemicals of concern in the hose itself. These picks are polyurethane, sold as drinking-water safe and free of lead, BPA and phthalates.

• What's the concern with vinyl garden hose

  Cheap PVC hoses can contain lead and phthalates. In a 2016 test, 7 of 24 vinyl hoses held at least 100 ppm lead, up to 68,000 ppm. Water left sitting in some hoses picked up lead and BPA, and earlier tests found phthalates too.

• General information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor, especially if you’re pregnant, nursing or have a health condition.

• Good to know before you buy

  Every hose is made of a polymer, so there’s no plastic-free option yet; polyurethane is the cleanest we found. Don’t replace a hose that still works: run the water for a few seconds before drinking or filling a bowl. Building a veggie bed? Keep pressure-treated boards from before 2004 out of it: they were often made with an arsenic preservative, and in a study of raised beds arsenic moved into the soil and the crops.

• Sources (4)

  1. Ecology Center 2016: 7 of 24 vinyl hoses had 100+ ppm lead (up to 68,000); hose water picked up lead and BPA; earlier tests found phthalates (opens in a new tab)
  2. Water Right: 100% virgin polyurethane, free of lead, phthalates and BPA (opens in a new tab)
  3. Rahman et al. 2004, J Environ Qual: arsenic moved from CCA bed boards into soil and crops (opens in a new tab)
  4. EPA: CCA wood withdrawn from home use in 2003; steel is an alternative (opens in a new tab)

  Health and safety facts on this page come from these sources. What a pick is made of comes from its maker's listing or website, as stated on the date we checked.