Safety of Rubber Playground Surfaces from Recycled Tires Reviewed by EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is investigating whether rubber playground surfaces made from recycled tires may release harmful chemicals that could pose a health hazard for young children.

According to a report by the Associated Press, the EPA has been conducting a review of playground padding that contains scrap tire mulch, because some of the agency’s scientists indicated that they may not have enough information on the health risks of the various chemicals found in the rubber.

A memo obtained by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), an environmental advocacy and whistleblower protection group, revealed that the EPA’s Region 8 Denver office suggested that the EPA not endorse the use of recycled tires in playground construction, and instead stay neutral on the topic, due to the lack of scientific data on their safety.

“It appears that there are valid reasons to take a broader perspective of all potential risks associated with crumb rubber,” wrote EPA Assistant Regional Director Stephen S. Tuber in the memo.

The EPA began investigating the materials at the scientists’ behest in January 2008, and expects final results within a few weeks, according to the Associated Press report.

Concerns exist that children may be exposed to dangerous levels of chemicals like lead, benzene, zinc and particulate matter from the recycled tire surfaces. This could occur from touching their hands to their mouth after playing on the surfaces, eating or drinking from containers that come in contact with the rubber or breathing particles from the fields or playgrounds.

In recent years, the rubber cushions have grown in popularity on playgrounds throughout the United States, as an alternative to wood mulch since it is generally cheaper to maintain. The same scrap tire surface was used on the ground under the swing set built at the White House earlier this year for President Barack Obama’s daughters.

Similar worries surfaced last year in connection with artificial turf fields, which are in use at schools and parks throughout the country in place of grass. The synthetic turf fields have been identified as potentially containing lead levels that may be harmful to children and adults.

In July 2008, the Center for Environmental Health, an environmental activist group based in California, filed an artificial turf lawsuit against the manufacturers of the fake grass fields, alleging that test samples revealed that one-third of the fields examined contained lead levels that exceeded California’s 0.5 micrograms per day lead exposure limits, potentially exposing children to a risk of lead poisoning.

California’s Attorney General filed another lawsuit in September 2008, against AstroTurf, FieldTurf USA Inc, and the Beaulieu Group, all artificial turf makers, charging that the companies deliberately concealed the high lead levels of their products.