Abstract
Recently, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) shower hoses have hardened throughout the eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. According to the elemental analysis results, the carbon and oxygen concentrations were much lower in the damaged hoses. These findings reveal that oxygen-containing, carbon-based plasticisers may leach from the damaged hose. As a result, the hoses lost flexibility after one year of use. The highest number of heterotrophic bacteria was detected by PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis in the shower water, and the bacterial DNA concentration was higher when hot water contacted the hose surface. I conclude that the plasticiser was leached from the stiffened hose through a bioaccumulation process.
GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
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