Absolutely it can. Can't give you the scientific explanation but i can all but guarantee that if you let a dishwasher sit for 2 years without any use then try and run it it'll leak like a sieve. Found this to be true with taps as well. A lot of times you go to repair a dishwasher/washing machine and the tap will leak from the stem when you go to turn it off/back on. I think this may be due more to constant pressure on a single point than dryness for the taps if i had to guess though.