ANN ARBOR, MICH.—High levels of hazardous chemicals were found in garden hoses for the second year in a row. Researchers at the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Ecology Center found phthalates and the toxic chemical BPA in the water of a new hose that had been sitting outside in the sun for just two days. Findings include BPA levels of 0.34 to 0.91 ppm in the hose water, a level that is three to nine times higher than safe drinking water standards. The phthalate DEHP was found at concentrations of 0.017 to 0.011 ppm in the hose water, which is two times higher than federal drinking water standards. This experiment was part of a recent Ecology Center study examining toxic chemicals in garden hoses.
The study is a follow-up to a 2012 study that tested 90 garden water hoses. This year, 21 garden hoses were tested for lead, cadmium, bromine (associated with brominated flame retardants), chlorine (indicating the presence of polyvinyl chloride or PVC), phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA). These chemicals have been linked to birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, premature births and early puberty in laboratory animals, among other serious health problems.
Highlights of Findings:
• Twenty-one new garden hoses were purchased from Lowe’s, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Target and Kmart. These hoses are widely available and top selling brands.
• Of the 21 garden hoses tested, 33 percent contained high levels of one or more chemicals of concern, 67 percent were made of PVC, 4.5 percent contained brominated flame retardants, 29 percent contained organic tin stabilizers and 52 percent contained antimony.
• Five hoses were tested for phthalate content, and the results ranged from 11 percent to 18 percent by weight. Phthalates are not chemically bound to the material and can be released to the air and water.
• All of the PVC hoses tested for phthalates contained one or more of the phthalates banned by CPSC for use in children’s products.
• The percentage of hoses with greater than 100 ppm lead declined from 50 percent in 2012 to 14 percent in 2013.
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