Plants don't die or get sever gastro instinal problems from the hose. Now they do. My helpers are savy to all these these things, I give all my family and help bottled water, I drink out of the tap, as do my kids. I was totaly unaware untill my helpers took the hose off the spickeit and then drank, I ask why and they said some hoses had a bad thing, or that is what I got from the lauge problem. SO I do not drink from the hose anymore.