Is your child's sandbox a safe place to play?

Is your child's sandbox a safe place to play? My father, visiting from another state, had just finished ahomemade sandbox for my children and was unloading sand from the localhome improvement store. I hurried outside to make sure the bagspecifically was labeled play sand; I had heard bad things aboutall-purpose sand and didn't want it anywhere near my toddlers.Exactly what was dangerous about it I couldn't recall. I justremembered that some kinds of sand were considered "safer"than others. I decided to do some online research before he emptied thebags. The company from which we purchased the sand had pictures of whatappeared to be the very same play sand in California, with onedisconcerting dis��con��cert?tr.v. dis��con��cert��ed, dis��con��cert��ing, dis��con��certs1. To upset the self-possession of; ruffle. See Synonyms at embarrass.2. difference on the label: CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65 WARNING This product contains crystalline silica, which is "known tothe State of California to cause cancer ..., birth defects birth defects,abnormalities in physical or mental structure or function that are present at birth. They range from minor to seriously deforming or life-threatening. A major defect of some type occurs in approximately 3% of all births. andreproductive harm." It was time to halt the sand project and figure out what Californialawmakers disclose that those in other states do not. I needed to learnabout crystalline silica, what it was doing in our sandbox, and how itcould harm children. Crystalline silica, as I should have recalled from geology class,is found everywhere. "It is in every part of every continent. Itoccurs plentifully in nature and is used commonly in industry"(United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is a Cabinet department of the United States government that manages and conserves most federally owned land. These responsibilities are different from other countries' Interior Departments or ministries, which tend to focus [USDOI USDOI United States Department of Interior ], 1992, p. 5). It is inall soils, even in the dust in the air. Quartz, the most common form ofcrystalline silica, is the second most common mineral in the world. Andsilica is formed from silicon and oxygen, the two most common elementson the earth's crust. It is in the dust in our homes, in unwashedpotatoes and carrots, in manmade items such as cleansers, jewelry,glass, furniture foam, and even the pharmaceuticals we swallow. Even theWhite House is made of materials containing crystalline silica in theform of quartz (USDOI, 1992). If it is literally everywhere, how bad canit be in our sandbox? According to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA), U.S. agency established (1970) in the Dept. of Labor (see Labor, United States Department of) to develop and enforce regulations for the safety and health of workers in businesses that are engaged in interstate (OSHA OSHAn.Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a branch of the US Department of Labor responsible for establishing and enforcing safety and health standards in the workplace. ), crystalline silica has been classified as a human carcinogen carcinogen:see cancer. carcinogenAgent that can cause cancer. Exposure to one or more carcinogens, including certain chemicals, radiation, and certain viruses, can initiate cancer under conditions not completely understood. ,and so breathing the dust can cause silicosis silicosis(sĭlĭkō`sĭs), occupational disease of the lungs caused by inhalation of free silica (quartz) dust over a prolonged period of time. , a disease that can bedisabling or even fatal. "Silica exposure remains a serious threatto nearly 2 million U.S. workers" (OSHA, 2002, p. 1). "Beachsand, play sand for sandboxes, and sand used in golf courses are nodifferent than industrial sand used for construction, in sandblasting Sandblasting or bead blasting[1] is a generic term for the process of smoothing, shaping and cleaning a hard surface by forcing solid particles across that surface at high speeds; the effect is similar to that of using sandpaper, but provides a more even finish ,or on icy roads. All are largely crystalline silica" (USDOI, 1992,table 2). I was learning some disturbing facts that only seemed to createmore questions. I found the hazards of crystalline silica in theworkplace to be well documented. But I wanted to know if the exposure tochildren in sandboxes is so minimal as to not warrant studies, or, as Ifeared, did children simply lack the political power to be protected byagencies like those that monitor occupations? While crystalline silica is a known human carcinogen, the amount ofexposure is a factor. Were children simply not at risk because theirexposure was not the 5-15 years associated with chronic silicosis? Butacute silicosis can occur after only a few months of extremely highconcentrations of respirable respirable/res��pir��a��ble/ (re-spir��ah-b'l)1. suitable for respiration.2. small enough to be inhaled.res��pi��ra��bleadj.1. Fit for breathing, as air. silica. Can we assume that play sand ishighly concentrated because it is largely crystalline silica? I turned to Dr. Michael Babich, a scientist at the Consumer ProductSafety Commission (CPSC CPSC Consumer Product Safety Commission (US)CPSC Computer Science (course)CPSC Canadian Plastics Sector Council (Ottawa, ON, Canada)CPSC Chemical Processing Safety Committee ), who worked on the one study I found thatlooked specifically at play sand and children's exposure to it(CPSC, 2004, p. 71). While this study has not reached any definitiveconclusions yet, he was able to help me understand the following: The science is not well understood with regard to childhoodexposure because there is no way to get the answers. Researchers wouldhave to follow children for a lifetime, and even then couldn'tdistinguish cancers from a crystalline silica exposure and those fromother environmental exposures, like pollution. It is much easier to show a connection between cancer and workersin high-risk occupations. They are exposed to higher levels for longerperiods of time than children are in the sandbox. Additionally, in thehigh-exposure settings (such as at work sites that involve sandblasting,concrete mixing, brick cutting), the freshly fractured particles releasefree radicals, which have large surface areas, that get into lungs andcause chemical reactions. Because these surfaces don't stayreactive for very long, the risk likely has decreased by the timeconsumers come into contact with play sand. The CPSC study measured many different brands of play sand andfound most of their samples were between 90-100 percent pure crystallinesilica. Although children are exposed to crystalline silica in thesandbox, we just don't know Don't know (DK, DKed)"Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. at what levels or how it affects them.Babich said that we do know the risk to children is, at worst, muchlower than it is for workers. Children are exposed at lower levels andintermittently (M. Babich, personal communication, August 26, 2005). While studies on the safety of play sand are too few andinconclusive to make the researcher in me satisfied, the mother in megleaned enough information to form some opinions on what to do for myown children's sand play. Crystalline silica is a known humancarcinogen that may or may not harm children's health Children's HealthDefinitionChildren's health encompasses the physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being of children from infancy through adolescence. . To err onthe side of caution, I suggest the following practices in earlychildhood settings: First, make sure that the sandboxes children come in contact within all early childhood settings are outdoors. Indoor environments simplycontain the crystalline silica dust Silica dustA type of dust from silica (crystalline quartz) which causes breathing problems in workers in the fields of mining, stone cutting, quarrying (especially granite), blasting, road and building construction industries that manufacture abrasives, and . Second, keep sandboxes damp (not necessarily wet), to keep the dustdown. (In fact, this is now suggested on the packaging label from thesame play sand company mentioned above.) This step is especiallyimportant in and climates. I find it interesting that constructioncompanies in my state (Arizona) are required to use water to minimizedust for air quality, while many schools try to save money by notwatering the sand where young children play. Third, purchase play sand, not all-purpose sand. Generally, playsand is grainier because it has been washed and screened, so the reallyfine dust is washed away. Finally, share these suggestions with the people who care for yourchildren. Child care providers, recess aides, teachers, and recreationleaders can keep dust down by keeping play sand areas damp. Contactthose in charge of purchasing sand, such as playground committees,principals, and maintenance personnel, so they will select sanitized san��i��tize?tr.v. san��i��tized, san��i��tiz��ing, san��i��tiz��es1. To make sanitary, as by cleaning or disinfecting.2. ,screened sand that is the most appropriate for contact with youngchildren. References Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2002). Crystallinesilica exposure health hazard health hazardOccupational safety Any agent or activity posing a potential hazard to health. Cf Physical hazard. information. Retrieved March 8, 2006, fromwww.osha.gov/ OshDoc/data_General_Facts/crystalline-factsheet.pdf. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. (2004). Performance andaccountability report. Retrieved November 11, 2005, fromwww.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/ gpra/04perfrpt.pdf. U.S. Department of the Interior. (1992). Crystalline silica primer.Retrieved March 8, 2006, from http://geology. usgs.gov/pdf/silica.html. Nola Enge is a doctoral student, Arizona State University Arizona State University,at Tempe; coeducational; opened 1886 as a normal school, became 1925 Tempe State Teachers College, renamed 1945 Arizona State College at Tempe. Its present name was adopted in 1958. .