Are Recycled Rubber Mats Unhealthy

The rubber found in recycled rubber mats arises from tires, which contain a variety of dangerous chemicals. In this article, read about the latest research concerning the safety of recycled rubber mats.

Many folks have expressed concern about using recycled rubber. Recycled rubber arises from used tires, which many fear could harbor lead or any other toxins. Concerns kicked into high gear in '09 after the environmental advocacy group PEER (Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility) uncovered internal communications from your EPA that stated that the agency couldn't vouch for the protection of recycled rubber since there had not been enough studies done then.
So are recycled rubber kitchen design Boston MA mats unhealthy? Let's examine the important points.
Recycled rubber mats



eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'brighthub_com-box-1']));


are made of used tires that would otherwise will be found in the waste stream. Used tires can sit inside a landfill for thousands of years without breaking down. There, the tires can catch fire, causing massive production of toxic smoke. Tire fires take time and effort to extinguish, and tires can smolder inside the stacks for years at a time. In open dumps, they become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which spread disease.
Recycling tires into materials like playground mulch and rubber mats cuts down on the number of tires that will be found in landfills by around 90%.
Rubber mats and mulch on playgrounds cause significant reductions in injuries as compared to wood mulch or concrete. According to one study, injuries were twice as common on wood mulch surfaces and more as common on concrete.
The use of recycled rubber raises justifiable concerns. The laundry set of volatile chemicals tried on the extender tires is alarming: benzene, toulene, arsenic, acetone and many others, plus pollutants that include nickel, copper and cadmium. Older tires might have lead, as well. Under lab conditions, scientists observed the chemicals leached from recycled tires. However, you will find important differences involving the circumstances of those studies and how recycled rubber reacts during actual use:
In reply to the concerns raised by earlier recycled rubber studies, several new reports have been conducted specifically addressing recycled rubber employed in playgrounds. These studies replicate field results, that may be dramatically distinctive from results obtained in lab conditions. In these studies, recycled rubber mats have been discovered safe.
The most recent is a two year long study done by four state agencies in Connecticut published in August of 2010. The studies measured leaching and off-gassing of chemicals during normal playground usage, during periods of heavy rain, and in lab settings. While some volatile chemicals were found being present in mid-air above the play surfaces, specially in indoor play spaces where there is less air circulations, the amount were low. Their studies figured that, while numbers of volatile chemicals were slightly greater than what are known as background levels, they were not high enough to become considered a health risk. The only chemical that leached out from the fields in a level greater than what is considered acceptable was zinc, which is not considered dangerous to humans unless excess amounts are ingested.
While the amount of chemicals off-gassing from indoor play spaces was considered below the threshold in which the chemicals are harmful, it can be worth noting that indoor play spaces showed approximately ten times the maximum amount of volatile chemicals in mid-air. If you want to err on the side of caution, you might consider refraining by using recycled rubber mats indoors, where there is often a minuscule but present danger that can deem recycled rubber mats unhealthy.
In outdoor playing conditions, however, field studies show that you can breathe easy realizing that your kids are safer while using mats than not.
Environment and Human Health:
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection:
USA Today:
Environmental Protection Agency:
Photo Credit: