Are there dangerous chemicals in my garden hose?

Every now and then I read something that reminds me of the ubquitous and far-reaching dangers in the world around me. It seems like I can't even enjoy the simplest things in life these days without being reminded that everything is trying to kill me. Case in point for me this week came on Grist, when a reader asked Umbra about the dangers of garden hoses. Is your Minneapolis concrete garden path a highway to hell?

Garden hoses? I thought to myself. What could be wrong with garden hoses?As it turns out, potentially a great deal, because plastic hoses could leach chemicals into the water -- that same water you're using on your organic fruits and vegetables that you might not be bothering to wash because you think you know what's on them. And, of course, that same water that's trickling into the soil for your plants to take up, allowing chemicals to concentrate in their stems, leaves, and fruits.

The leaching per watering session may not be much, but it builds up over time. And while the health risk might be lower than some other risks around you, it's by no means nonexistent, which means it's worth ameliorating it if you can. Reducing risks can help you stay that much safer in the world around you, and while you shouldn't live in constant fear, prudent caution is a good trait to have.

Many hoses include pthalates and other softeners to prevent kinking and make them more comfortable to use. In addition, some are treated with antimicrobial products like triclosan to prevent the growth of mold and mildew, a common problem with garden houses. All of these chemicals are linked to human health problems, and they aren't the kind of thing you want spilling out all over your food, especially if you have children, who are particularly vulnerable to food-borne chemicals.

Looking out at the bright shiny garden hose coiled neatly against my house, I'm almost tempted to go on a mission throughout the neighborhood, ripping hoses out at the roots and saving my neighbors from themselves. You see, it's not just that plastic hoses contain health risks: the standing water that sits in them, according to Umbra, has been revealed to have lead and other chemicals, leached out from the plumbing in hose bibs and other equipment.

Duel blazes split efforts of Conway firefighters

As he rode in a tanker with his fellow firefighters, Deputy Fire Chief Adam Baker saw a column of black smoke cut through the evening sky from three miles away. With four team members by his side, Baker was headed straight for the smoke, where a double-wide trailer on Main Poland Road was quickly going up in flames. Baker was one of nine Conway firefighters who had just spent an hour and a half assisting their Ashfield counterparts at a log cabin fire on Briar Hill Road last Friday. By 4 p.m., as the Conway firefighters rushed to suppress a fire in their own town, it had already been a long day. Earlier that cold afternoon, at 2:20 p.m., the volunteers had been dispatched to provide mutual aid for the Ashfield Fire Department with a fire engine and a tanker. While the crew headed north, they called for Sunderland Fire Department to provide coverage at the Conway firehouse. Once the Conway team arrived at Briar Hill Road, they met up with Ashfield Fire Capt. Matt Haskins, who was leading a team attacking the log cabin fire. Ninety minutes later, an alarm went off in Conway for another fire engulfing a double-wide mobile home, camper and van. The Conway team’s radios were channeled into a regional tower and the call wasn’t reaching them. As they worked to control the flames in Ashfield, Greenfield Fire Chief Robert Strahan, who was also on scene, told Baker to call dispatch. There was a working structure fire in Conway. The Conway firefighters were torn. The Ashfield and Conway fire departments are each other’s number one partners. The Conway firefighters were reluctant to abandon their Ashfield partners. Ashfield Fire Chief Del Haskins told the Conway firefighters they could leave to assist in their own town, where other mutual aid departments were already headed, according to Baker. The Conway firefighters jumped in their tanker and headed back home. Sunderland firefighters covering the Conway station were the first ones to respond, Baker recalled. While in Ashfield, Baker had assumed a regular firefighter role, but now back in his community he switched roles to operations manager on Main Poland Road. Herrmann, the Bensons and Vanderheld, on the other hand, continued in their role of directly fighting the fire. “We had the same role. We just changed location,” said Herrmann, a member of the force for 10 years. It was Ms. Benson’s first major structure fire. The 19-year-old had already been training for five years. But she has only been active for one year. Firefighters have to be 18 to give full support. Vanderheld is a veteran of the force, serving 13 years.

Paladins start anew against Blue Hose

"Our defense played great," said Griffin, who completed 15 of 18 passes for 135 yards. "We came out and played a good first half. But we had too many turnovers. That was the real difference in the game."Presbyterian hasn't beaten Furman since 1979, but the school has been chipping away at Furman's dominance in the last couple of years.The Blue Hose lost by 10 points in 2012 in Clinton, coming back from a 24-0 deficit at halftime.On Saturday, they matched the Paladins with 59 plays but compiled 96 more yards total offense. The Blue Hose also had possession roughly five minutes longer than the Paladins.

"We expected them to play hard. Everybody was fired up," Furman running back Hank McCloud said. "They had a big win last week, and we wanted to get our first win at home."While the Furman football team is off to a slow start this season, this week's home opener remains one of the most highly anticipated in the 32-year history of Paladin Stadium.When the Paladins and Presbyterian kickoff at noon today it will be on the stadium's new synthetic turf surface. Fans on the home stands will enter through Furman's new Pearce Horton Football Complex, and many will be sitting in new seats.

"It's exciting for us to get home and see all that come together this Saturday," Furman coach Bruce Fowler said. "I think it's a great reflection of where we are as a program. We're doing things to get going in the right direction."While the rainy spring and summer hindered construction, Furman athletic director Gary Clark said everything remained on schedule for this season. The only major upgrade left is the press box level, which should be ready by the Paladins' next home game, Oct. 5 against Elon."Weather did slow things down. There's no way around that with that kind of rain that we had this past summer," said Clark. "Triangle Construction has done a great job of getting us caught up so we could host the game Saturday. They've made a lot of progress in the last three weeks."

It's really an all-American product

It was nearly midnight on a recent Friday when Keith Urig finally called it quits, though he and his friends weren't quite finished with their life-size model of the time-traveling DeLorean from "Back to the Future."The pulley system he had rigged up to lift the famous vertically opening gullwing doors was still jerky, and the fog machine was only pushing vapors out of one exhaust port."We've been working on the float for three weeks now," said Mr. Urig, a 40-year-old owner of a small excavating.pany. "Your fingers definitely get tired from ripping up tape."That is because the faux DeLorean automobile that Mr. Urig helped build for this town's annual parade—along with a 12-foot-tall clock tower also from a scene in the film—was made mostly of duct tape.

In recent years, the tough adhesive, originally designed to waterproof munitions boxes during World War II, has been transformed from a trusty household repair tool to a geeky status symbol. Devotees craft everything from prom dresses to runway fashions to boutique items like wallets, purses and jewelry.Here in Avon, a town of almost 22,000 outside Cleveland that bills itself as "The Duct Tape Capital of the World," things go a bit further, with an annual three-day celebration of the stuff. At this year's 10th annual Avon Heritage Duct Tape Festival, there was a duct tape fashion show and duct tape sculptures of everything from giant Buddy Holly eyeglasses to a towering silver duct system. Thousands of visitors strutted their stuff in sticky homemade creations. The highlight was a parade with 19 floats vying for top prize.

"It's really an all-American product," said Bill Kahl, executive vice president of marketing at ShurTech Brands, the locally based maker of Duck Brand duct tape and one of the largest employers in town. "Kind of like bluejeans."ShurTech, whose Duck Tape Facebook FB +1.25% page has 5.3 million fans, provided each parade participant with 60 rolls—or roughly 600 yards—of tape to fashion floats for the festival.For Mr. Urig, that wasn't nearly enough. "We had to scrounge every store in town," he said. "I called my sister who lives a half-hour west of here. She picked up 20 more rolls for us."

Advantages of the PTFE Race Hose

Because of its unique construction and attributes, the benefits of the PTFE are many. It has a wide operating temperature range and can withstand temperatures from -73 degrees C to +260 degrees C. It has a vast chemical compatibility, meaning the hose can withstand a variety of fluids at extreme temperatures and pressure levels.PTFE custom are very flexible and strong. When combined with a stainless steel braid, these hoses can out-perform other hoses under high-pressure conditions, even when there is continuous vibration and flexing. PTFE race hoses can hold their own during hundreds of thousands of flex cycles without failure.

They are non-stick with low friction to prevent substances from adhering to the interior walls of the hose. This allows fluids to maintain their purity while flowing through the hose and it allows the alternate use of varied fluids in the same hose without risk of fluid mixture.PTFE is moisture-resistant so it does not absorb fluids as they pass through. It adds no taste, odor, or color to the fluids. That's why PTFE has been FDA-approved for use in the food industry as well. Another advantage is PTFE race hoses are built to last. When properly installed, they are not affected by exposure to chemicals, weather elements, or time.

They are resistant to UV light and oxidation, discoloration, and surface fouling. They are essentially ageless when well taken care of. PTFE hoses are also lightweight, which helps reduce the overall racecar weight for improved racing performance.With so many benefits, it's no wonder many manufacturers are producing PTFE hoses today. Good ridge, for example, produces various types of PTFE race hoses, including smooth or convoluted hoses, hoses with stainless steel braiding or an Aramid Fibre outer braid, and races hoses of various sizes and shapes. Besides hoses, there are numerous hose fittings such as AN fittings and other racing products to meet the needs of every racecar machine shop.