• View ecochildsplay’s profile on Facebook
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Twitter
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Instagram
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Pinterest
  • View Jennifer Lance’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on YouTube
  • View ecochildsplay’s profile on Google+

Eco Child's Play

Live a greener, healthier life!

  • Environment
  • Pregnancy
  • Food & Recipes
  • Health News
  • Parenting
  • Green Toys
  • Beauty & Beauty Products
  • Green Home & Cleaning
  • Contact

EPA Fails to Protect Our Children From Shredded Tires on Playgrounds

EPA approves tire usage on playgrounds without significant studyMy mommy instincts told me playing on shredded tires was not good for my children’s health, but apparently the EPA lacks such intuition.  According to the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibilty (PEER), the EPA has admitted it does not know “the extent of childhood exposure from ingestion or inhalation of an array of toxic chemicals found within tires”.

Documents obtained by PEER under the Freedom of Information Act indicate that –

  • EPA lacks the information to “assess toxicological risks of tire crumb in situations where children are exposed” but has recommended tire crumbs for public recreational use since 1991;
  • Agencies are issuing contradictory advice to consumers. In June 2008, for example, the Centers for Disease Control issued an advisory for potential lead exposure from artificial turf, while weeks later, CPSC issued a press release downplaying the lead risk based on very limited testing; and
  • EPA plans to conduct its first field monitoring studies but admits that these limited tests will leave many questions unanswered.

Meanwhile, millions of pounds of shredded tires are recycled to be used for cushioning on children’s playgrounds. Recycling is good, but not at the cost of our children’s health. To blankly endorse the use of shredded tires by the EPA and the CPSC without ever having “investigated the potential toxicity to children from direct contact with tire ingredients, such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury and a number of dangerous hydrocarbons” is criminal in my opinion.  In fact, PEER accuses the EPA of “burying its head in the tire crumbs”.

Image:  syberartist on Flickr under a Creative Commons License

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Pinterest
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Subscribe!

« Can Breastmilk Cause Autism?
Not So Disposable Natural Dinnerware, Skoy Cloth, and Aspen Wun »

Comments

  1. Panya says

    August 3, 2009 at 7:26 pm

    My nephew actually burned his hands and knees when he fell down on the shredded tires at a local park — it was a bright day and the tire pieces had become very hot in the sun. I can’t believe parks are using this stuff!

    Reply
  2. Patricia Taylor says

    August 4, 2009 at 7:57 am

    The CDC has issued a Health Advisory pertaining to synthetic turf. Parents should follow the recommendations outlined at http://www2a.cdc.gov/HAN/ArchiveSys/ViewMsgV.asp?AlertNum=00275.

    In addition, the state of Connecticut is in the middle of a year-long field and lab investigation of synthetic turf and crumb rubber infill. A Connecticut group called Environment and Human Health, Inc. has called for a moratorium on the installation of new fields while they are being studied. More information can be found at http://www.ehhi.org/turf.

    The EPA said in June it was going to issue preliminary findings of its own investigation. You can find the January 2008 EPA internal memo and PEER’s press release on the EPA concerns and investigation at http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1202.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search Content

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter


About Eco Child’s Play

Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

Contact Eco Child’s Play

Plants Over Plastics! Repurpose Compostable Home Products

Convenient Plastic Container Free Dropps Laundry & Dishwashing Pods

More from the archives!

New Research Confirms BPA-Free Plastic is NOT Safe

Riding Bikes or Walking to School Improves Test Scores

Kiva.org-Loans that Change Lives

NY: Suffolk County Bans BPA

Vegan Gluten-Free Recipe: Basic Beans, Rice, and Vegetables

cbd salve joy organics

CBD Products that Actually Deliver: Joy Organics

wama hemp underwear

The Most Comfortable Underwear is Made of Hemp: WAMA Review

Information

  • About & Contact
  • Archive
  • Blog
  • Consulting Services
  • Disclaimer, Disclosure, & Sponsored Posts
  • Privacy Policy

The Green Inaugural Ball – Maximum Celebration, Minimum Impact

We Take on the Girls Scouts Again: Your Cookies are Destroying the Rainforest

natural pain remedies

8 Natural Pain Remedies

Green Parent Activism: BPA, Global Warming, and Air Quality

Three Good (Green) Reasons to Give Up TV

Popular Categories

  • Breastfeeding
  • Health News
  • Natural Childbirth
  • Parenting
  • Education
  • Product Review
  • Green Toys

Get our posts via email

Please stay in touch!

You might also like to read…

social skills more important than kindergarten academics

Stanford Danish Study: Delayed Kindergarten Results in Greater Self-Control

Top 5 Cloth Grocery Bags: It's Easy and Fashionable to Say No to Paper & Plastic

Hank D and the Bee: How (and When) to Water Your Lawn

Naturally Parenting a Child with Special Needs

Announcing Our Monthly Give Away!

Copyright © 2023 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.