More and more children are injured on playgrounds each year in the United States. According to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) data, it is estimated that 190,000 children in the U.S. were injured seriously enough on playgrounds to require emergency room treatment in 2001. Tragically, an average of 15 to 20 children die each year in the United States playing on playgrounds. Many of these deaths and injuries could be prevented if playgrounds were designed with greater attention to safety.

Unfortunately, unlike many European countries and Canada, the United States does not currently have mandatory safety standards for the design, construction and maintenance of outdoor play equipment. The CPSC published a "Handbook for Public Playground Safety" in November 1991 and updated it in 1994 and 1997. However, the handbook is only a set of guidelines and compliance is not mandatory.

In 1998, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) released the third edition of a "Report and Model Law on Public Play Equipment and Areas." The goal of CFA's report is to educate those who are responsible for and care about playgrounds - including parents, school administrators, child care providers, parks personnel and designers, so that they can make informed, safe choices about play equipment and the layout of play areas. CFA's report details the hazards on playgrounds in the form of a model law with provisions for safety and design of public play equipment and areas. While no play area or piece of equipment can be made completely safe, careful design and maintenance can minimize injuries and save children's lives.

This report, "How Safe are New York's Playgrounds?" is a follows-up to the CFA Report with a citywide survey of playgrounds conducted to determine the current safety conditions of New York's playgrounds. NYPIRG's report was written in conjunction with a CFA/PIRG statewide and national study and is released with the CFA, the United States Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG), several state PIRGs and other local organizations.

Deaths and Injuries on Public Playgrounds

Children can be seriously injured while playing on playgrounds. Injuries can be sustained in many different ways.

Falls account for roughly 80% of all playground-related injuries and 20% of playground-related deaths. Other causes of injury involve impact with moving equipment, running into stationary equipment, sharp edges, protrusions, pinch points, hot surfaces and debris in the play area. Other causes of death involve strangulation (caused by entanglement and head entrapment), impact with moving equipment and equipment failures or tipovers.

Spotlight: New Toxic Playground Risk Identified

A recent concern in the safety of playgrounds is playground equipment made of pressure treated wood. Pressure treated wood is wood that has had chemical preservatives forced deep into the cellular structure of the wood. This allows the wood to maintain a chemical barrier against termites and other pests, as well as general decay for long periods of time. The most common wood preservative and pesticide used for this process is chromated copper arsenate (CCA), which contains arsenic.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) classify arsenic as a known human carcinogen. Federal and state recommended safe level of arsenic exposure for adults is 7.5 parts per million. Long-term exposure to arsenic can cause neurological damage, birth defects and damage to reproductive systems, impair immune systems and cause various types of cancer. Children playing on playground equipment made of pressure treated wood containing CCA may be exposed to high levels of arsenic by placing their hands in their mouths after playing on the equipment or on loose surfacing surrounding playground equipment. This is due to the leaching of CCA out of the wood and onto surfaces surrounding the playground. Two studies have concluded that increased exposure to arsenic results from children's contact with play structures. Symptoms of arsenic poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, muscle cramps, face swelling, and shock.

CCA treated wood has been banned in Switzerland, Vietnam and Indonesia. Japan, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Australia and New Zealand have restricted or proposed restrictions on CCA wood.

In February of 2002 the EPA and the treated wood industry announced a voluntary agreement to discontinue use of CCA wood meant for use in fences, decks, playground equipment, and boardwalks in homes and playgrounds by December 31, 2003. Two major home improvement chains- Home Depot and Lowe's have stated that they will no longer carry CCA treated wood and will start carrying other types of wood that are arsenic-free. The most common alternative to CCA is Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ). It is recommended that all treated wood be sealed with polyurethane-based sealant in order to avoid leaching.

In October 2001 Rochesterians Against the Misuse of Pesticides (RAMP) in Rochester, NY tested several public park and public school wooden playground surfaces in the Rochester, New York area for CCA. The tests found several of these playgrounds contained elevated levels of arsenic. Two of the playgrounds in the Pittsford area and one in the Maplewood area were closed and scheduled to be replaced by April 2002. Other towns in the area are currently testing their wooden playgrounds.

Recently, on Tuesday, June 18, 2002, the New York State Legislature passed a bill (A. 10221/S.7167) that would ban CCA treated wood from public playgrounds. It also requires that wooden playgrounds be regularly sealed with polyurethane based sealant to prevent the leaching of CCA and other types of chemicals out of treated wood. The bill is currently awaiting the Governor's signature. If Governor Pataki signs this bill into law, it will be the first law in the country to ban CCA treated wood from public playgrounds.

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For more information, contact:
Susan Craine, NYPIRG, 212-349-6460, scraine@nypirg.org