Background | Survey Findings | Focus: New York’s Most Potentially Hazardous Playgrounds | Survey Results
Litter in the Playgrounds | Focus: Are New York’s Playgrounds Getting Safer? | Recommendations and Conclusions
Upstate Playground Table | New York City and Long Island Playground Table
Survey Results
Toxic Playground Risk Identified
More than Half Of The New York Playgrounds Surveyed Contain Play Equipment That May Pose A Toxic Hazard
52% of the playgrounds surveyed that contain hazards have peeling, chipping or cracked paint on at least some portion of the play equipment surface and/or contain wood that is not red wood or cedar.
Further analysis is required to determine if this paint contains lead, and, if so, if it is at a hazardous level. Moreover, further analysis needs to be done to determine whether the wood is pressure treated and, if so, whether it contains toxic chromated copper arsenate (CCA).
Lead Risk
Testing by the CPSC and some state and local jurisdictions has shown that many school, park and community playgrounds across the United States have metal and wooden playground equipment that presents a potential lead paint poisoning hazard, primarily for children six years and younger. The amount of paint that may be ingested can contribute to a hazardous and unnecessarily high lead exposure, which causes diminished IQ and other developmental difficulties in children.
CPSC testing revealed that some equipment was painted with lead paint, and over time, the paint has deteriorated into chips and dust containing lead. In a survey of 26 playgrounds, CPSC found that 62% had lead levels that could exceed the amount used by the federal government to determine lead hazards.
The CFA/NYPIRG Playground Safety Survey included a question to determine whether there was any peeling, chipping or cracking paint on any play equipment surface. No samples were collected and no laboratory analysis was performed. However, the results of the recent CPSC tests, coupled with the high percentage of playgrounds with peeling paint, suggest that local officials should consider inspecting their playgrounds and conducting additional testing.
Arsenic Risk
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S.EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) classify arsenic as a known human carcinogen. 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. Several 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.
Until 2001, 99% of all wooden playground equipment that was not made of redwood or cedar was pressure treated. The most common wood preservative and pesticide used for this process is chromated copper arsenate (CCA), which contains arsenic.
The CFA/NYPIRG Playground Safety Survey also included a question to determine if the playground equipment is constructed of wood other than red wood or cedar. The survey did not test playground equipment for CCA or any other toxins. However, if playground equipment is made of wood, which may be pressure-treated, local authorities should collect and test wood samples to determine if CCA is present and if so at what levels.
Fall Hazards Identified
More than Half Of The New York Playgrounds Surveyed Lack Adequate Protective Surfacing
55% of the playgrounds surveyed this spring that contain hazards lack an adequate protective surface.
Protective surfacing under and around all play equipment is the most critical safety factor on playgrounds. Falls from play equipment may cause life-threatening head impact injuries. The surface on which a falling child lands is a major determinant of the injury-causing potential of the fall. While adequate protective surfacing cannot prevent all injuries due to falls, it can help reduce both the frequency and severity of injuries. Falls onto a resilient surface (such as rubber tiles or loose fill with a depth of at least 9 inches) are less likely to result in a life-threatening injury than falls onto hard surfaces (such as concrete or loose fill with a depth of less than 9 inches).
Nearly Half Of The Climbers, Slides And/Or Swings At New York Playgrounds Surveyed Do Not Have Adequate Fall Zones
44% playgrounds surveyed that contain hazards have inadequate fall zones around their climbers, slides and/or swings.
A fall zone is the area under and around a piece of play equipment where a child might fall. To reduce the risk of injuries: (1) protective surfacing should be installed throughout the fall zone; (2) the fall zone should be free of other equipment or obstacles onto which a child might fall; and (3) the fall zone should extend a minimum of six feet in all directions of the piece of play equipment.
More than Half Of The Climbers, Slides And/Or Swings In The New York Playgrounds Surveyed Are An Unsafe Height
52% of the playgrounds surveyed in New York that contain hazards had climbers, slides and/or swings of unsafe heights.
While increasing the height of equipment does not necessarily increase the challenge or play value, it always increases the hazard. Limiting the height of play equipment is an essential means of reducing the frequency and severity of injury. The highest climbing member (rung or platform) of a climber and the platform of a slide should not be higher than 6 feet from the protective surface for school-age children (4 feet for preschoolers). The height of the pivot point/swing beam should not exceed eight feet.
Collision Risks Identified
Almost One Third Of The State's Playgrounds Surveyed That Contain Swings Are Unsafe
29% of the playgrounds surveyed in New York that contain hazards have one or more of the following swing impact hazards: (1) swing seats constructed of wood, metal or other rigid material; (2) swing structures attached to other play equipment; (3) more than two swings per section or bay; (4) infant/tot swings suspended in the same section of the swing structure as regular seats; (5) swings that are either too close together (less than 24 inches) or 
(6) too close to swing supports (less than 30 inches). Swings are also unsafe if they have inadequate fall zones and/or have pivot point/swing beams that are too high.
Approximately one fourth of all playground-related injuries are swing-related and, of those, 25% are caused by impact with a moving swing. The typical scenario involves a young child walking in front of or behind a moving swing and getting hit, either by the seat itself or by a child in the seat. Therefore, injuries to the head and face are common.
Strangulation Hazards Identified
Nearly a Third Of The New York Playgrounds Surveyed Have Play Equipment That Poses A Head Entrapment Hazard
30% of the playgrounds surveyed that contain hazards have play equipment that could result in head entrapment.
Head and neck entrapment presents a very serious risk of death by strangulation for young children and, therefore, warrants extra precaution. Any opening ‚ except those where the ground serves as its lower boundary ‚ with an interior dimension between 3.5 inches and 9 inches may cause head entrapment. Entrapment may occur when a child enters an opening, either head or feet first, but cannot withdraw his or her head because the opening is too small.
Nearly Forty Percent Of The Area Playgrounds Surveyed Contain Play Equipment With Open S-Hooks, Gaps, Protrusions And Other Features That May Act As Hooks Or Catch Points And Pose Entanglement Hazards
39% of the hazard-ridden playgrounds surveyed have play equipment that could pose entanglement hazards.
Protrusions and projections on play equipment or gaps, holes or other openings in the play equipment can cause serious injury or death by strangulation if such hazards can entangle children's hair or clothing.
Surveyor Notes: Other Hazards & Horrors Identified
The Field Study Participants identified other hazards when they conducted the playground survey. Among the playground hazards and horrors noted by the surveyors were the following: an open jack knife, exposed bolts, playgrounds located near highways and power plants, torn fences, play equipment as high as 15-18 feet, spring-loaded animal swings, splintering wood, extremely rusty play equipment surfaces, graffiti, raw sewage odors, hazardous bridge structures, alcoholic beverage containers littering playgrounds, structures held together with duct tape, exposed pipes and more.
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