Family & Consumer Sciences this was published at Farmers Almanac
Toxic Garden Tools? July 4, 2012 If you?re like me, almost every
day you read reports of some new toxic threat in food, water,
cosmetics, or household cleaners. It?s a tough job keeping up,
especially distinguishing real threats from the hyper-vigilance
of the worried well. In May the Michigan environmental group
Ecology Center released its 2012 Garden Products Study, which
reported research that examined 179 common garden products,
including hoses, gloves, kneeling pads, and garden tools for
evidence of toxic substances. Researchers found more than two-
thirds of the products tested contained high levels of one or
more toxic substances (including lead), chemicals linked to many
such adverse health effects as ?birth defects, impaired
learning, liver toxicity, premature births, and early puberty in
lab animals.? Toxic garden hoses? And unlike standards that
govern public drinking water and the infrastructure that
delivers it, no regulations establ