As people move towards becoming both more environmentally-friendly and more conscious of health and personal safety, there continues to be a movement towards making water for human consumption as lead-free as possible. This is spearheaded by the Reduction Lead in Drinking Water Act, enacted last January 2011, requiring all types of commercial and industrial facilities to equip their potable water sources with lead-free fittings. Suppliers, on the other hand, have long begun offering fittings that are compliant to the act.

On the residential front however, property owners are still the ones tasked with making their water more lead-free. For the most part this has become easier as the water company is already required to make their facilities more compliant, and the homeowner just simply has to make sure the home’s fitting have been replaced with complaint parts.

One section which may be neglected however, is the home’s garden hose. While seeming miniscule, if not addressed, the garden hose can still be a source of lead exposure; it is, after all, often used for bathing pets, watering plants, and taking the occasional dink while outdoors on a hot day. Unfortunately, as mentioned in article published on Space & Beyond last October 6, 2013, homeowners may fail to realize that their hoses are not yet lead-free:

“The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) limits lead in brass in residential water fixtures to no more than 2,500 ppm. Garden hose ARE NOT regulated by the SDWA, and our test show 29% of brass connectors contained greater than 2,500 ppm lead. Opt for a hose that is drinking water safe and lead free.”

Fortunately, there are manufacturers who mindfully produce lead-free garden hose fittings even if they have not been included in regulated fitting products. Companies like Gruner Brass Fittings Corp., who specialize in the production all types of brass fittings for both residential and commercial use, offer a selection of products that are lead-free.

These include garden hose fittings such as connectors, washers, menders, and even a hose barb. Lead-free brass fittings, like most of any products, can be ordered and online and delivered in any part of the country, making it easy for homeowners to best make their potable water lead-free.

(Article Information and Image from “Your garden hose may be toxic…”, Space & Beyond, October 6, 2013)