Testing Playground Mulch for Toxins

We started researching rubber mulch for playground use when our son would come home from the school with headaches, stomach cramps, and a sore throat. He was constantly covered in black dust from the mulch, and had a chemical smell. He was blowing it out of his nose and who knows how much was ending up in his eyes and lungs. We became very concerned and found an overwhelming number of news stories articles about the health risks of this product.

There is a serious lack of testing done on the rubber mulch or crumb rubber, our children are playing on at schools, playgrounds, and athletic fields. Within the past few months we have campaigned to get testing and removal of the mulch on the playground with much research on our part. We truly believe in our cause. Our hopes are to start a campaign in our area of the removal of this unhealthy material and to spread awareness in the community, or how ever far we can.  When the information is presented right in front of you, it's very hard to deny the facts. The goal we have set is to cover the costs of testing for heavy metals, VOCs, off-gassing and leaching, toxins and carcinogens.  A local lab will collect the samples from our school's playground, and we will share the research with everyone.

The love you have for your children is like no other love in the world and if there is even a chance of something harming your child it’s worth changing. What can we do? We’re willing to do whatever it takes to find an alternative to the rubber chips, both monetarily and physically.  The more we read and discover, the more disturbed we’ve become. We encourage others to become better informed. A quick search online will give you an idea of how vast an issue this is. The research is limited, but the health hazards are spreading.

Please help us.
It’s not worth the risk of waiting.