discussion title:
Pea gravel or wood chips for play area?
message #:
1674.3 in response to 1674.1
I always thought that the recycled / shredded tires were such a great idea and a great way to recycle. I didn't realize that they were dangerous too!
On EcoChildsPlay.com I found this info in case anyone else was wondering about the safety issue of recycled tires:
"To create playground cushioning, the tires are ground up and magnets are used to remove metals; however, according to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), ground up tires release 49 different chemicals, including seven carcinogens. As the tire playground surfaces age and are exposed to light and heat, these chemicals, which include heavy metals, are released into little lungs."
In this blog, the author read a recommendation for wood chips, but decided that pea gravel was a more sustainable resource.
I tried to do a little quick research, but the kids need my attention. Most of the articles I found on playground cushioning were talking about why the recycled tires are bad. :(
I'd personally hesitate to use wood chips just because you do have to replace them often and it's using up that natural resource. Our neighborhood rents a chipper each year and chips up dead trees from people's property. If you had an option like that, I think it wouldn't be so bad. Also, some cities provide free mulch in the spring from people's Christmas trees that they dump after Christmas.
If neither of those are options, I'd probably go with the gravel.
