۲۵ شهريور ۱۳۹۹

Restrict use of the area accordingly

Every day, countless families set out for disposable towels for travel apleasurable trip to one of America'snumerous parks.As one's feet clump across those rock-hardpieces of semi-frozen, compacted wood mulch, the responsible parent ishorrified. Aside from the fact that frozen wood mulch is about as soft asgranite, visitors are likely to actually be able to feel the crunch under theirfeet in numerous spots. All one can do is hope and pray that none of thechildren will fall.All of which begs the ridiculousquestion-Isn't the point of playground surfacing to cushion to ground? To putit bluntly, this is absurd!

Is this what park officials and schools are lettingkids play on?! Has there ever been a child who didn't fall at least a couple oftimes in the course of a good day's play? How can children be allowed to playon a surface that is as hard as a rock? Has nobody ever heard of broken bones,concussions, spinal injuries?Upon expressing dismay to the office of thelocal Park and Recreation Department, the response is generally a patronizingreassurance. After all, this wood mulch, commonly referred to as EngineeredWood Fiber, is a certified product that meets all applicable guidelines, withcertifications from the ASTM, CPSC and IPEMA. These are credible entities; andif they aren't worried, why should parents be concerned?Obviously, these condescending representativeshave never stepped on a playground! Sure, wood mulch is tested. But it's testedwhen it's brand new, leveled to the perfect depth, unfrozen, untouched, andstill nice and fluffy, fresh from the tree. It may be safe in the lab-butchildren play on playgrounds, not in laboratories.What happens two or three months later, whenthe mulch has gotten wet and compacted? What happens when that fresh, moist,proven-to-be-fire-resistant wood carpet dries out after a good few weeks in thesun? A couple of months down the line, does anyone bother to check to ensurethat it still meets the safety standards? Not the ASTM, or CPSC-that's forsure. And not the officials in charge of parks and schools either, becausethey're smugly relying on a guarantee that's completely irrelevant in real-lifesituations.A bit of research reveals that the mulch thatis being marketed as playground surfacing appears to be the very same productused to mulch gardens. Some of these wood fiber surfaces can come from old,shredded-down pallets. Often, wood pallets are made from treated wood which hasproven to be toxic-not to mention the nails and staples that could remain mixedinto the shredded mulch. Still and all, wood mulch is one of the mostwidely-used 'safety' surfaces in the country. Of course, the home pages are coveredwith lovely pictures and descriptions of this so-called safety product. Despitethe glorious catch-phrases proudly displayed on the front pages, they can'tentirely hide the truth-they could get sued. Thus we have the long list ofdisclaimers. Some direct quotes:"During freezing conditions, all of ourplayground surfaces will naturally be less resilient, particularly with poordrainage. Restrict use of the area accordingly."Another site: "Should there be moistureretention in the wood fiber system, it will freeze when the temperature dropsbelow the freezing mark.

Please check your surface frequently in winterweather. When the surface is frozen, the impact attenuation properties of woodfiber are lost and for this reason, the play area should not be used."Are they seriously suggesting that playgroundsbe shut down for months on end? When winter and fall start to converge on eachother, the nights may be below freezing, but the days often reach the 50 degreemark-a temperature that most schools deem suitable for outdoor play. How muchtime does it take for frozen wood mulch to defrost? Does anybody know or care?Why are towns and schools not informing parents and children of this? Not thatany normal child is going to refrain from using the playground in cold weatherbecause he carefully read the attached disclaimers. But why are parents notquestioning this safety option?Despite the hazards of frozen mulch, one wouldthink that at least in the heat of summer, it would be safe. Case in point: an article on the webabout a school in Arlington, Texas that has a video showingtheir playground spontaneously combusting due to heat. Apparently, somebodyforgot to reapply the 'sufficient moisture'-which, according to themanufacturers, wood mulch is not supposed to have, since it freezes solid incold weather.Of course, the websites reassure the users,one could always choose to apply a fire retardant instead of going with themoisture option. So much for the natural, chemical-free alternative.Apparently, given the fact that it is so veryweather-sensitive, wood mulch is simply not appropriate for outdoor use-by themanufacturers' own admission. One leading manufacturer states that "Due toweather conditions, poor drainage, too much shade, or a combination thereof,bacteria may rapidly colonize, which may lead to fungus growth on the woodfiber. If the fungus becomes visible, simply scoop out and dispose of thefungus."The site fails to mention anything about thebacteria that rapidly colonizes without anyone's noticing. It would not besurprising if animals were to routinely use these surfaces as 'litterboxes'-and it's hard to imagine a better surface for bacterial growth thanslightly moist, rotting wood mulch. Many schools have begun to bleach thechildren's desks in light of recent H1N1 flu scare. Is anyone bleaching theplayground mulch to prevent the spread of "bacteria that may rapidlycolonize"? Imagine a whole community of children contracting H1N1-justfrom playing on the playground!Obviously, there has to be a better way.Visits to parks in other areas will bring thevisitor in contact with numerous playgrounds surfaced with rubber. What adifference! Whether the solid, poured rubber type of surface, or the loosefill, rubber mulch type, these playgrounds are soft and cushiony-the way that aplayground should feel! Even adults often report the sudden urge to jump andbounce on the elastic surface!Just based on the consistency alone, it wouldseem pretty clear that rubber is the safest way to go. Sure enough, theresearch supports this hunch. According to the EPA,