Wondering if there is any health risk associated with putting pieces of copper pipe, plastic PVC (?) pipe, or garden hose pieces into a campfire? I have been to campfires where these things have been put into the fire, and it does make the fire turn all kinds of colors. Just wondering if it's safe to sit around the burning campfire with these things added....
Copper shouldn't be a problem, but PVC and Plastic or rubber hose will burn and give off noxious fumes.
We have done it many times with the old copper lined hoses and it has not harmed any of us yet. I would not see doing it to PVC it will melt fast and stink of burnt plastic.
Personally would replace with copper as plastic does not look as good and the fittings are too bulky, als the plastic fittings rely on the rubber o ring inside them which after 10 or so years tend to dry out and perish causing small leaks which if pipe work is in awkward places or hidden can cause big problems later.
The fine soot that the pvc gives off will enter your lungs and deposit HCL there. If you get too big a snoot full, you end up with a pneumonia like sickness and you can imitate people who have been in house fires where the furnature burns. They come out with black snot and are really sick the next day. Copper pipe shouldn't get you too bad but locally a woman whose husband burned wires to get copper scrap almost lost a leg to an infection that was a reaction site to copper poisoning. Stay upwind!
