I'd suspect that 'warning' is added by the companies legal department to head off any potential lawsuits - most black soaker hoses are made from recycled rubber tires, and tho' the potential for a bit of lead contamination is no doubt there, it isn't like the hose is creating the lead, so I can't imagine it could add problematic quantities - lead is in your soil and food at trace levels already, and lead doesn't normally get taken up by plants, so i wouldn't think the "organic" quality should be of concern, but eating the soil or personally consuming water from those hoses may be

Bill

Lucia,

Some garden hoses leach lead and other chemicals into the water. The problem is that they are made of PVC, which uses lead as a stabilizer.

Consumer Reports tested 16 brands of garden hose sold at national chains and on the internet. In some hoses they measured 10 to 100 times more lead than the EPA considers safe coming out of a faucet.
The hoses they found to be lead-free are: Gardener's Supply Company Hose, Teknor Apex Boat & Camper Self-Straightening Hose, Swan Marine/Camper Hose and the Better Homes and Gardens Kink-Free Hose.

Obviously most Organic gardeners and farmers are not aware of this so the organic status is not in question but as a matter of my own personal ideals I buy the gardeners supply hoses.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lead Free Garden Hoses

HI I just bought a Gilmour Flat Soaker Hose. I called the company and they said the hose is 100% lead free, This house has black and green plastic ends on it, not any brass. The hose it's self is made from a black nylon, not rubber

Signs of chronic Lead poisoning include loss of short-term memory or concentration, depression, nausea, abdominal pain, loss of coordination, and numbness and tingling in the extremities. Fatigue, problems with sleep, headaches, stupor, slurred speech, and anemia are also found in chronic lead poisoning.

What was the question again?

If you look on the packaging of almost every garden hose, you'll find a warning. If your hose is 'safe', it will say so on the label.

I believe that our last hose said something like: WARNING: water from this hose is not potable.

Since you live in California, it is very likely that your soil has a pH over 7, that is, on the alkaline side. Alkaline soils tend to reduce plant uptake of heavy metals. Do you know the pH of your soil?