6 Reasons Experts Say You Should Never Drink From a Garden Hose Your garden hose is for plants, not people. Close Credit: Catherine Falls Commercial / Getty Images Kids drinking from the garden hose has been normalized since the eighties, when rules were looser and summer break consisted of long, hot afternoons swimming in neighborhood pools, jumping on trampolines, and biking over steaming asphalt. Nowadays, more attention is paid to the water we drink—its origins and its pathways. As it turns out, that seemingly innocuous sip from the garden hose actually poses health risks, according to both medical and water experts. Read on to find out why drinking from the garden hose is a habit best left in the past. Kathryn Foster, senior operations manager of water at NSF Dr. Hussain Ahmad, clinical practitioner at Click2Pharmacy Aidan Charron, associate director of Global Earth Day at Earthday.org 10 Ways to Save Water Around the House (and Why It Matters) 01 of 06 Ingestion of Plastic Credit: Created_by_light / Getty Images As the associate director of Global Earth Day Aidan Charron explains, garden hoses are typically made of plastics that include polyvinyl chloride (PVC), diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), and polyurethane (PU). As a result, hoses are constantly shedding tiny filaments of plastic called micro and nanoplastics that can be invisible to the human eye. In turn, these plastic particles leach plastic toxins called phthalates directly into the water you drink from the hose, according to Charron, and the same chemicals are potentially linked to health issues, including heart disease. You can purchase non-PVC or PU hoses, with some even being marketed as phthalate-free. "Hoses that are intended for use with drinking water, such as recreational vehicle connector hoses, will be marked to indicate that they are certified to the NSF/ANSI/CAN61 standard," says water safety expert Kathryn Foster. 02 of 06 Bacterial Growth Garden hoses could be hosts for dangerous bacteria. “Hoses are dark, moist, and contain organic matter, creating a prime environment for bacteria,” says Foster. “Drinking from a garden hose can potentially expose you to harmful pathogens like E. Coli, salmonella, and Legionella, causing respiratory and gastrointestinal illness,” she warns. 03 of 06 Untreated Water Credit: Korvit78 / Getty Images "Municipal water treatment facilities treat and disinfect water before it reaches your home so that you can consume it," Foster explains. But because garden hoses are long and winding and tend to sit for long hours or days with standing water inside, the water is deemed unsafe for human consumption. "When [water] sits in a garden hose, the chlorine loses its potency over time, diminishing its ability to kill bacteria that is present in hoses," she says. 04 of 06 Contaminant Leaching Sitting outside in the sun all day exposes hoses and the water inside to a high degree of heat, increasing the chances of microplastic shedding and chemical leaching. “This contaminant leaching may be accelerated over time as hose materials break down from exposure to the sun and extreme outdoor conditions,” says Foster. 05 of 06 Lead in the Fittings Credit: Stewart Cohen / Getty Images According to clinical practitioner Dr. Hussain Ahmad, many garden hose connectors and fittings are made with brass, which can contain lead. “Even small amounts of lead can leach into water,” he cautions, “especially if the water has been sitting in the hose for a while.” Over time, lead exposure can cause health problems, notes Ahmad, particularly in children and pregnant women. How to Clean a Reusable Water Bottle—and How Often You Should 06 of 06 Standing Water How many times have you walked away from your garden hose without completely draining it? According to Ahmad, “water left sitting in a host between uses can pick up dirt, insect droppings, or other debris.” Especially in warm weather, this stagnant water can quickly become unsafe to drink. Dogs, cats, and other critters might have drunk from the same garden hose, or even urinated on the top of the hose, notes Charron, making it even more unsanitary. Explore more: Garden