Question from Cheryl3
Hi Debra and everyone,
I know shower heads have been addressed here, but what about shower heads with hand held hoses. In the past we always used them, but in our current home, we weren’t sure how risky the plastic hose was. The water running through the 5 foot hose would mean the hot water is exposed to plastic that much longer, but we love the “hand held” feature for showering and it also makes it so much easier for me to rinse the enclosure after cleaning it. If the risk seems minimal, it might be worthwhile. Also, we were considering a couple of Waterpik models. Are there any questions I should ask?
Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.
Debra’s Answer
First of all, not all plastics are dangerous.
If you would please find out what type of plastic is used in the handheld hose you want to use (call the manufacturer) then I can better answer your question.
In general, though, the water is rushing past the plastic, so it doesn’t have enough contact time to absorb the plastic. Even if there is six feet of hose, it’s still rushing past. Contact time is how long it is in contact at one spot.
Amazon has a SS shower hose, I bought it and love it.”Extra Long Stainless Steel Handheld Shower Hose (8 Ft) (96 Inches) (2.45 Meters)” http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XHYNEK/ref=wms_ohs_product
but many internal tubing in shower hoses are made of reinforced PVC. isn’t that bad?
Yes, PVC does contain toxic ingredients that can leach. However, they are unlikely to end up in shower water because the water is rushing through the tube and it needs contact time to leach. If you are concerned, don’t use rubber hoses in the shower.
I am extremely sensitive to PVC anywhere in plumbing. We finally had ALL copper installed. I did react to the VOCs in our shower hose which was stainless with PVC lining. We had it replaced with copper pipe and a safe shower head (stainless and polypropylene). I reacted to PEX, PVC and polymers in piping and supply lines to sink faucets. Depends on how sensitive you are to VOCs, I guess. There are research studies online about synthetic VOCs being detected in various plumbing materials. Our plumber told us that “plastic is the future” in plumbing.
Yes, it does depend on your level of sensitivity. And there is a difference between an amount that can cause a reaction in a sensitive person and an amount that would cause harm to an otherwise healthy person.