the need for organic, lead-free garden hoses

I didn't know how difficult it would be to find a 15 foot garden hose without lead or other chemicals known to be harmful by the state of California. Did you? I must have hit every hardware store, nursery and big box retailer in the area, and the bad joke was this: garden hoses of manageably short length had large tags informing me how toxic they were. I am looking for something to water things I intend to eat: is lead a good thing to put onto/into my vegetables, or am I getting worked up over nothing? Why not an organic garden hose?

What emerged from my research is that in this modern world of 2008, you can buy a "safe for drinking" hose, something made for RV's and boats. These hoses are usually white with a blue stripe, and are made from vinyl and nickel as opposed to PVC and brass, these latter being the lead-carrying culprits.

It seems strange to me that this whole thing isn't more of an issue. People are concerned about lead pipes -- and what is a hose if not a kind of pipe? Hell, people are concerned about lead in their children's toys. One would think that with home gardening on the rise, and people increasingly willing to produce their own food -- all of which is good news in my book -- that someone would have blown the whistle on garden hoses by now.