When the weather gets hot, many kids cool off by playing with-- and drinking from -- garden hoses. But they may be getting more than a just a cool drink, they may also be getting a dangerous dose of lead. KATC's Kari Hall tells us more in this Safe Families report.

Using a water hose is simple. So when we buy one we often don't read what's on the package. But what you're not reading may harm you and your family.

Louise Broyles, mother of one says, "There was no reason to think it wouldn't be safe. It's a garden hose so why wouldn't it be safe?"

In a recent test, ten hoses were studied to find out just how much of these harmful chemicals were in the hoses. Sections of the hoses were filled with clean water, sealed at the ends and put outside, just like you would for about a day. The water was dropped off at a lab.

Five of the ten hoses come back with levels of lead higher than what the EPA allows for drinking water: 15 parts per billion...and that's only the beginning.

Charlie Pizarro Associate Director of the Center for Environmental Health says, "Hoses tend to be made of PVC which is a dirty plastic and lead is used as a stabilizer in that plastic."

The lab found high lead levels in four hoses. One as high as 290-parts per billion. That's almost 20-times higher than what the EPA allows for drinking water.

"Lead is a potent neurotoxin. There is no amount of lead that's safe for a child. They create a public health risk to children. They put children at risk for brain damage, developmental disabilities and a host of other very serious problems," says Pizarro.

If you are shopping for a water hose you should find one made of vinyl. It is safe to drink from and does not contain high levels of lead. The Center of Environmental Health also recommends that you wash your hands after using a water hose containing lead.

Don't fill swimming pools or your pet's drinking bowl unless you have a vinyl hose.

Kari Hall

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