Is PVC Safe for Hydroponics? Water Test Results! 

There’s a huge problem with this video. The lab tests only detect when levels pass a much larger threshold than can be reached in two weeks in new material. The longer you have the pvc, the larger the leech. Additionally, this does not take into account the degree to which the plans absorb chemicals OUT OF THE WATER and therefore contribute to lower levels of contaminants in tests. There’s also the issue that small amounts build up in your body over time. Even if you are getting a very small degree, repeated exposure through consumption will eventually buildup in your body because our bodies are amazing at storing micro plastics and the damage from their consumption.

@@tomerzilbershtein849 any sources for the claims?

If people want to do this, they should do it, though I don’t recommend it. There are safer materials including potable water pvc (which must usually be kept out of direct sunlight). The claims I made were not of health effects, but of the processes underlying them. I’m too lazy, hence do your research and I completely respect your decision to pursue this despite my disagreement, to find the support for claims that plastics can build up in the body, that testing tests what’s in the sample (hence would miss longer term leeching), etc.

Also that plants can filter out plastics from the water, and thereby decrease the water plastic concentration.

What do you recommend for outdoor?

@@yolpaaaa HDPE .I use HDPE buckets for my hydroponics bucket system for peppers.

That is my concern for hot temperature outside. I am thinking of using PVC post from Home Depot or Lowes for my dragon fruit plants in pots for outside growing not inside. I have heard about uPVC but now sure Home Depot carry them. Any advise? Maybe I just stick with redwood for safe food grade.

plants don't absorb bpa, but they can convert bpa into bpa glycosides and stored in the root system and stems.

Thanks for the input! I've read similar and after doing some more research, my local groundwater has an arsenic level near what my test results showed.

Someone else mentioned that the sunlight affects the plastic differently than it would inside...you mentioned that you were going to use them outside... The other thing is that, although these plastics are white, the sunlight can get through the opaque plastics causing algae problems...sunlight is quite a bit different from indoor lighting... Things to consider... I am using 6 inch field pipe (some people bought a farm and didn't want the pipe so they sold the 10 foot lengths for 5 dollars each...I thought it was a good deal so I bought all they had)...it's white on the outside and stabilized to resist sunlight and UVs...the inside is black to block the sunlight to prevent algae... Home Depot has a similar product called Corrugated Drain Pipe, it's made from High Density Polyethylene...it is white on the outside to protect it from sunlight and UVs and black on the inside to prevent algae...it comes on 3 inch and 4 inch diameter, 10 foot lengths... Just thought you might want to consider this as well as the plastic posts...I think it would be better for sunlight and water...the posts, although they are UV protected, are not made to keep the sunlight from getting through...and they are not made to have water in them and will be susceptible to algae...

I just stumbled onto some videos that discuss the safety of plastic; how to tell if it's safe to use for food-grade purposes... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lSPvxsbQ_hE.html The video talks about the number on the container and what they mean and how it tells what the plastic is made from and if it's a possible contaminate...

It's silicone that is used for fish tanks and it meets the NSF 51 standard for food equipment.

Microplastics would most likely be inevitable, pvc is not infinitely durable, it will wear down and flake off plastic bits. Kinda like how all fish you eat have some plastic in them from pollution either directly or from something they ate before being caught

Microplastics? We got you covered. :-) mytapscore.com/products/microplastics-water-test

They have some flexible qualities so I'm guessing there's may be some additives (I think PVC-U is brittle), but I'm not sure.

No it did not. My understanding is that BPA and BPS are used for clear and/or flexible polycarbonate plastic applications (water bottles, etc). From the research I did, DEHP was raised much more as a concern for the PVC I use so I wanted to make sure to look for that one.

Indoor

Top off once a week, drain and fill every 2 weeks usually.

PVC fence posts, which are probably slightly different PVC (UV stabilized, etc) than PVC water pipes.

They're fence post jackets from Home Depot. The build details can be found on their website: www.simplegreenshydroponics.com/posts/rail-system/part-1-rails

most of the PVC in the home is for drain and venting.

Those are understandable concerns, but I think the test method mitigated many of them. -I allowed the water to circulate in an existing system which was nearly a year old (probably average for a hydroponic system) for two weeks before taking the sample to allow any leachates to accumulate. -The test thresholds are for drinking water, which are set assuming the person is directly consuming this water in large amounts every day. -I have not found any support for the idea that plants take up a higher concentration of pthalates than what is present in the water (which is what would have to occur for the plants to be reducing the pthalate content of the water). In fact it appears to be the opposite from the studies and articles I've read through. More info here: simplegreenshydroponics.com/posts/2021/is-pvc-safe-for-hydroponics