News Coverage
Is Kids' Castle Safe?
Published November 6, 2003
Parents should be aware they are exposing their children to more than a good time when they take them to play at Kids' Castle, a popular, community-built play structure constructed in Doylestown Township seven years ago.
Potential safety risks exist at the recreational site in the form of chromated copper arsenate (CCA), which is actually an arsenic-based pesticide composed of 22 percent pure arsenic. The chemical also contains chromium and copper, and is commonly used by the lumber industry to "treat" wood, injecting it with toxins to aid in preservation and prevent insect infestation. It's found in decks, play structures, fences and picnic tables, and has been used in lumber production since the Great Depression.
The arsenic easily rubs off wood, becoming a whitish, powdery substance that also contaminates the soil.
Bedminster resident Linda Lori, a mother of three and a member of the Central and Upper Bucks Environmental Coalition (CUBE), called a press conference last Thursday to reveal lab results indicating high levels of arsenic are present on wood surfaces in all three of the areas she tested. Dawn Byers, Kids' Castle organizer, and supervisors Tom Scarborough, Barbara Eisenhardt and Barbara Lyons were present when Lori spoke to the public about her findings.
Lori said she used an arsenic wipe home test kit to conduct wood "wipe tests" on October 14 in three different areas of Kids' Castle, and forwarded the samples to the Environmental Quality Institute (EQI) laboratory at the University of North Carolina in Asheville for analysis.
In an EQI of UNC report dated October 24, the results show levels (per 100 square centimeters) of 23.8 micrograms on a handrail, 351.5 micrograms on a support pole, and 211.1 micrograms on a slide handrail.
After her announcement, Scarborough said the township would pursue its own testing to confirm the EQI results.
"We must never forget the health and safety of our children must be protected at all costs," said Lori, who asked township officials to close the structure pending further tests or until precautions are taken.
A man in the crowd challenged Lori on the validity of the test results and the timing of the tests.
"I'd love you to challenge this. Go out and get independent testing to validate the results. That's exactly what I want to happen," she said.
Lori also said there is no political motivation behind her actions.
"I have concerns for children and for the risks associated with arsenic-treated play sets," she explained, adding township supervisors have unwaveringly supported her efforts.
She said many communities across the country have opted to tear down tainted structures, rebuilding them with arsenic-free materials.
Eisenhardt clarified supervisors would not propose closing or demolishing the structure. Instead, she believes installing a wash station and posting a sign warning parents of the arsenic risk would be preferred immediate measures since the EPA and DEP claim hand washing substantially reduces the threat.
"These are small things we can do that would give parents a choice. Let the parents decide," she remarked.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows only 2 micrograms (or 50 parts per billion) of arsenic in drinking water. Incidentally, this current national standard is the same one established in 1942, long before health officials understood arsenic causes cancer. According to the National Academy of Sciences, one out of 100 people who drink water containing 50 ppb will get cancer, based on an individual drinking two liters of water per day over a lifetime.
Normally, the EPA assigns toxin standards in line with a one in 10,000 risk factor. In that case, an arsenic level of 0.5 ppb would provide an approximate total cancer risk of one in 10,000, making the situation appear even more dangerous.
On October 31, 2001 the EPA changed the standard for arsenic in drinking water to 10 ppb, effective February 22, 2002, implementing the new standard as specified in a January 2001 final rule and stipulating systems compliance by January 2006.
In February 2003, federal officials (ENS) released a public warning regarding the increased health risks associated with pressure-treated wood playground equipment, stating children are at greater risk of developing lung and/or bladder cancer if they use this type of play equipment.
Last May, the Healthy Building Network (HBN) and the Environmental Working Group (EWG) petitioned the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban arsenic-treated wood in playground equipment and to review its use in other consumer goods.
The home testing program Lori used was designed by EWG and EQI laboratories "to quantify arsenic levels" on wood and in soil. Test results are compared to the most recent national results generated and to an estimate of cancer risks calculated using standard EPA procedures.
The estimated cancer risk is based on an average child playing only three hours per week from age one through age six on or near arsenic-treated lumber. The threat increases substantially with more frequent periods of exposure and more direct contact with surfaces, such as eating contaminated soil, mouthing or licking the wood, getting splinters, putting fingers or hands in the mouth or eating after touching toxic soil and wood surfaces and failing to wash hands.
Byers said her group "used the best information they had at the time" and selected the safest building materials available in 1997. For example, they opted to purchase Kiln dried pressure treated wood to minimize potential seepage of arsenic, and volunteers wore masks and gloves when cutting lumber during construction.
Additionally, surface contact areas like decking, handrails, and flooring in most instances are composed of TREX, an alternative to pressure-treated wood that it is not recommended as a structurally sound replacement for all components.
"I think it's great someone brought it to light," she said. "It's time to move forward now and make the area safer for children. I hope people in the community hear this and volunteer to join the ranks to replace it, as needed."
Byers, whose children still play at Kids' Castle, also said her build group, comprised of 2,000 community volunteers, took necessary precautions and thought they "were cutting edge at the time" the structure was built. She recommended validating the test results through a third party and getting a federal agency involved, leaving the decision to close the structure with supervisors. Meanwhile, she said individual parents should make their own decisions.
In response to concerns about CCA, Scarborough said township officials hired an independent contractor to test the wood at Kids' Castle back in 2001. When arsenic was detected supervisors chose to seal the wood, as advised by Leathers Associates, the play structure building company, and has continued to do so annually.
To curtail seepage, the EPA, however, suggests applying a seal coat every six months for better protection since weather conditions often cause it to wear away too quickly. The EPA has not set a maximum safe level of exposure yet nor has it concluded the public is unduly at risk.
Byers, also Friends of Kids' Castle chairperson, said her group is still actively maintaining the structure, and she is certain volunteers would join together to do whatever is necessary to remedy any potential hazard to children.
Effective December 31, 2003 the EPA will no longer permit the use of CCA treated wood in residential settings, although it has not mandated the removal or replacement of structures treated with the toxin.
If there is anything positive to extract from the current situation, Eisenhardt might have put her finger on it.
"This could be the catalyst for soil and water testing in the township," she said.