Michigan Real Talk: Should You Be Drinking Water From the Hose?

Let's be real—if you grew up in Michigan, the odds are solid that you've quenched your mid-yard work thirst or slip and slide session with a few gulps of the garden hose vintage. It was warm, slightly metallic, and had notes of rubber. But is this safe?

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Get ready for the buzzkill: it's probably not safe. It turns out that hose water is a cocktail of chemicals and creepy crawlies.

Health Risks: Bacteria, Mold & Metals

According to Safety and Health Magazine, drinking hose water isn't just 'not recommended'—it's more like drinking the chemicals used to make vinyl flooring, nail polish, plastic wrap, and hair spray.

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Speaking with Family Handyman, Dave Hokanson from the Minnesota Department of Health, straight-up says hoses can contain lead, BPA, bacteria, and mold. Yum.

And don't think that Michigan's drinking water is the problem. The stuff coming out of your kitchen sink is running plumbing that had to be approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That outdoor spigot from 1979 and the hose that came with the house? Not so much.

Evidence from Michigan’s Hose Study

The Ecology Center, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, conducted a 2016 study measuring the chemical and other foreign substances in over 30 garden hoses. The results showed high levels of lead, bromine, and antimony leaching out of standard garden hoses, especially when they heat up in the sun.

So, unless you want to slurp up lawn chemicals with a splash of heavy metals (not to mention whatever Michigan critter was crawling around in there before you turned on the spigot), maybe don't drink from long, hot, green snake.

Choosing Safe, Certified Drinking Hoses

If you're dead set on drinking from the hose but don't want to grow a third eye, look for hoses labeled 'water safe' or 'NSF/ANSI 61' or '372 certified.' Chances are, you'll find these at most of Michigan's RV or boat stores, and they won't poison you.

RELATED: Gen X's Childhood Now an Exhibit at Michigan's Henry Ford Museum

Sure, nostalgia's great, but so is not ingesting bacteria and hose rubber.