Question: Who besides us remembers the tragedy of kids’ toys and jewelry containing higher than acceptable levels of lead? Yeah, we thought that would ring a bell or two.

Next question: Who besides us remembers playing in the yard on a hot Summer day, getting thirsty and then taking a nice long drink of cold water out of the garden hose? We certainly do! Mom would have YELLED at us if we dared go into the house with dirty shoes on every time we got thirsty!

Well now we, as parents, may want to think twice about the hassle of vacuuming up the tracked in grass and dirt from our little ones… because recent studies have shown that a good number of garden hoses contain and give off potentially hazardous metals like lead.

Well looky here … HealthyStuff.org, an offshoot of the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center, is an environmental nonprofit that has tested just about everything under the sun for the presence of toxic chemicals ranging from car seats to handbags. Recently, the group extended its reach into the garden shed and the results, released late last week, may find you thinking twice the next time you give Fido a sip from the garden hose on a hot summer’s day.

For the study, the Ecology Center tested a total of 179 run-of-the-mill gardening products — 90 garden hoses, 53 garden gloves, 23 gardening tools, and 13 kneeling pads — for lead, chlorine, bromine, cadmium, phthalates, and bisphenol A (BPA). The results found that slightly more than 70 percent of the products tested contained chemical levels of “high concern.”

The presence of both lead and phthalates, particularly in garden hoses, proved to be the most alarming. One hundred percent of the garden hoses tested (all made from PVC) contained phthalates, the notorious plasticizer that’s been linked to hormone disruption, genital birth defects in boys, breast cancer and other maladies. Two hoses contained the flame retardant 2,3,4,5-tetrabromo-bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (TBPH) and 30 percent of all products tested contained lead levels well over 100 parts per million, the Consumer Product Safety Commission standard for lead in children’ products. What’s more, the water sampled from one hose contained 0.280 mg/l (ppm) lead while the standard for lead in drinking water is 0.015 mg/l. Not that most folks drink directly from garden hoses, but hey, it happens. High levels of BPA were also found in water samples. ( source )

So, after reading all that bad news and knowing that most companies have made serious efforts to rid products of potentially dangerous lead levels, BPA, phthalates, and additives known to leach out of various plastics in recent years… just how badly did WE get dosed with all that garbage BEFORE consumer advocacy groups put pressure on big business?

The answer to that question SCARES THE HECK OUT OF US so we will now abruptly change topics and try to think happy thoughts. Rainbows, Unicorns, Pay Raises, Winning Scratch Off Tickets, 2-for-1 Top Shelf Drinks at Happy Hour…

For the complete article and tips on how you can currently minimize your exposure to harmful chemicals and compounds in gardening tools, supplies, hoses, apparel, etc., you can read the full article here.

Filtrete Water Station by 3M

We received a very direct question from ‘HonestJr’ about a product we wrote about recently: The Filtrete Water Station manufactured by 3M.

“My question is regarding the Filtrete Water Station made by 3M. Does it remove fluoride from the water being filtered?”

Thank you for your question, Honestjr. As best we can tell from the information available online, the Filtrete system does NOT remove fluoride — but we suspected that even before beginning research.

Simple water filtration units will most often remove (or more likely reduce) chlorine levels to improve taste and odor of water — and not really do a whole lot more.

Reducing/removing fluoride requires technologies beyond simple GAC (granular activated carbon) filtration devices.

If you have serious concerns over fluoride in your drinking water you may want to consider taking a look at the following pages from our site, as they give more information about removing fluoride from drinking water.

• Inexpensive Countertop Fluoride Filter
• Fluoride Removal Media for Water Filters
• Removing Fluoride From Drinking Water

• Filters to Remove Fluoride From Drinking Water

We hope this helps. If not, please feel free to write back and we’ll do what we can to provide additional information!

Best regards,

– Water Testing Blog (www.watertestingblog.com)

The Filtrete Water Station uses a recyclable filter to reduce levels of sediment and the taste and odor of chlorine from water… and then puts the filtered water into four reusable 16.9 ounce bottles.

Does this unit remove EVERY possible drinking water contaminant? No, but since some bottled water companies take tap water, filter it, bottle it, and then sell it… don’t you think you could do the same at home for a lot less money?

Granted many of those companies may use more sophisticated methods of water purification such as reverse osmosis, but not all of them.

Also, please don’t forget about the space in landfills you would not take up with all the disposable, empty water bottles you would no longer throw out.

“Oh, but I recycle my water bottles….”

Good for you! Too bad not ALL of the material that goes into the production and packaging of most bottled water can get recycled. The fact that the bottle and (sometimes) the caps can get recycled does NOT mean the plastic coated cardboard boxes used to ship the product will break down nicely in nature or get recycled.

And what about the fossil fuel used to cart all those bottles from the factory — and yes, we said factory. The image that a group of people sit around a remote location secretly bottling pure, safe and pristine drinking water is exactly that: an image — to the distribution center and from there to countless locations before it finally ends up in the cooler for you to grab as you head off to another meeting, to the gym or out for an afternoon of frantic Christmas shopping.?

Don’t get us wrong

We LOVE that (many) people have committed themselves to recycling the waste from various products they use on a daily basis. We just hope that more people will start bottling their own water at home instead of paying outrageous prices for filtered water that has an ecological footprint extending well beyond its trendy, recyclable container.

Ever wonder if someone made a convenient way to fill reusable personal water bottles with clean, filtered drinking water? If so, then our recent find will make your day.

The Filtrete Four Bottle Water Station allows people to pour water in the top of the device for and simultaneously fill four reusable portable water bottles with filtered drinking water.

Pretty neat, huh? We thought so. Oh, and no, the bottles do NOT contain BPA.

What does the unit filter out? Predominantly it seems to reduce the the offensive taste and of chlorine and remove unwanted sediment. While not the most thorough filter, it ought to work great for people looking for a quick means of making their tap/city water taste better.

Inside the Filtrete Four Bottle Water Station you will find an easily replaced and very affordable Filtrete Fast Flow Filter which should last for around 100 gallons (or roughly 3 months).

Worried that you will forget to change the filter? Not a problem. The Filtrete Fast Flow Filter has a convenient indicator that lets you know when to replace the filter in your Filtrete Water Station.

As if the convenience of this unit did not already say enough, according to the manufacturer this water filter system also uses recyclable water filters.