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Comment by AWildC182 | Hacker News Reader

I know a guy who worked a purchasing project for garden hoses. They're made out of so much low grade regrind I would never use them for drinking/cooking...

Also, they breed bacteria like crazy when left in the sun.

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As a kid growing up in the 1970s drinking out of the garden hose was considered normal. We survived.

survivor bias? (just kidding)

Ditto, but late 1990s instead of 1970s. I survived (so far) as well :)

I still do that if I come across one when I'm thirsty. This is the first I've heard of their dangers!

Same here, early 90's. I actually liked the taste of the hose water from my childhood home more than any other water I've ever drank.

But you didn't live in a dwelling that was plumbed with garden hose. Also I suspect that the use of recycled materials was less prevalent back then. Finally, toxin exposure isn't a binary thing. Hypothetically, if the hose somehow destroyed 1% of your kidney or liver function, it would still be harmful whether you perceived an effect or not.

Drinking water out of lead pipe was considered normal for a while too... and the similarity of this situation is that drinking out of garden hose normally means you're getting water that's only spent seconds flowing through it, instead of water that's been sitting in and absorbing contaminants for a while.

Any suggestion on what would be a safe substitute?

copper pipes with a screw on fitting at the end that is removable.

I meant for the same use as a garden hose (flexible, removeable), though that was not obvious from the context.

They make drinking water hoses for RVs. Could probably just buy one of those. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-25ft-TastePURE-Drinking-Water/d...

Review: Label says "Allow water to flush through hose before drinking"-then it's not potable safe!!!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R38UUMLVROEK9E/re...

That's mostly due to the fact that the ends are not sealed during shipping: I have seen similar suggestions for permanent plui2peoducts like PEX

PEX - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-linked_polyethylene. It's well-established technology for indoor plumbing. It's not as flexible as a garden hose, but it is suitable for potable water. It's primary drawback is UV breakdown -- you can't use it where the sun will see it.

UV breakdown is easy to address with a sheath, but it's not nearly flexible enough for garden hose use. I have only used PEX-C, I hear PEX-A is more flexible, but it would have to be more than I think it is.

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