“Rubber Mulch” is actually ground-up, used rubber tires…

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“Rubber Mulch” is actually ground-up, used rubber tires…

Christopher Gavigan

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Here is a portion of a letter from Nancy Alderman, President of Environment and Human Health, Inc, to the Washington Post:

In some states rubber tires are a "Hazardous Waste" and in other states they are a "Special Waste". Whichever the case, this is not a material that children should be playing on.

Why is this material a problem for children's playgrounds and gardens?

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station has analyzed a sample of ground-up rubber tires and found:

Benzothiazole: Skin and eye irritation, harmful if swallowed. There is no available data on cancer, mutagenic toxicity, teratogenic toxicity, or developmental toxicity.

Butylated hydroxyanisole: Recognized carcinogen, suspected endocrine toxicant, gastrointestinal toxicant, immunotoxicant (adverse effects on the immune system), neurotoxicant (adverse effects on the nervous system), skin and sense-organ toxicant. There is no available data on cancer, mutagenic toxicity, teratogenic toxicity, or developmental toxicity.

n-hexadecane: Severe irritant based on human and animal studies. There is no available data on cancer, mutagenic toxicity, teratogenic toxicity, or developmental toxicity.

4-(t-octyl) phenol: Corrosive and destructive to mucous membranes. There is no available data on cancer, mutagenic toxicity, teratogenic toxicity, or developmental toxicity.

Zinc: There is a very large amount of zinc that is added in the manufacturing of tires and therefore there is a great deal of zinc.

(5) Other Chemicals that are often found in rubber tires are:

Benzene: Carcinogen, Developmental Toxicant, Reproductive Toxicant

Phthalates: Suspected Developmental Toxicant, Endocrine Toxicant, Reproductive Toxicant

PAHs: Suspected Cardiovascular or Blood Toxicant, Gastrointestinal or Liver Toxicant, Reproductive Toxicant ,Respiratory Toxicant,

Maganese: Gastrointestinal or liver toxicants

Carbon Black: Carcinogen

Latex: Causes allergic reactions in some people

The companies producing and selling this product do not explain where the rubber mulch comes from or the potential dangers it presents. This same rubber mulch is also being sold as garden mulch and has the potential for stunting plant growth, contaminating soil and ground water. The manufacturers present the rubber mulch as one that won't break down so that people will not have to mulch again for the many years. Real garden mulch is meant to break down and become part of the soil.

Nancy Alderman is the President of Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI), a nine-member, non-profit organization composed of doctors, public health professionals and policy experts. It is dedicated to protecting human health from environmental harms through research, education and improving public policy. EHHI's support comes only from foundations and committed individuals. EHHI does not receive any funds from businesses or corporations.

Posted by Mike Bentley on 08/01/2010 at 09:31 AM

There has been extensive EPA and IPEMA testing on tire-based rubber mulch and is has been deemed completely safe for use around kids and pets. Here are a few links to some REAL test data:

http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/tools/cpg/products/playgrnd.htm

http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Publications/Tires/62206013.pdf

http://www.syntheticturfcouncil.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=91

I did a random search on the Internet, and found a comprehensive site section about Rubber Mulch safety here:

http://www.pinnaclerubbermulch.com/rubber_mulch_is_safer.html

It’s a good read with a LOT of external links to reputable organizations who have tested these products.

A lot of the negative reaction to the idea of tire-based rubber mulch is from fear-mongering and an ignorance of the processes used to create the product.

Before you just believe what you read from one source, do some research for yourself.

Posted by Mary on 07/23/2010 at 03:09 PM

Our county is putting this mulch in playgrounds all over the area, Is there any kind of form letter already written up to share this information and maybe start to get our county to change???

Posted by Dawn on 07/15/2010 at 05:26 AM

As a parent, we put in a play area, and we used rubber mulch from a local company, so I have done some research on this topic. I worry that this article paints rubber mulch with too broad a brush.
Not all rubber mulch is from tires. The company, JJV, that makes the mulch we used salvages 18 semi-truck loads a WEEK of these bladders before they reach the landfill (I have included the link above, but I am in no way associated with the company, just a happy customer). And, tires have an additional hazard in that the mulch is rated “99%” metal free. The wires from the steel belting are removed via magnet, but some is inevitably missed, so while the cushioning is good, it still isn’t safe for barefoot kids.
That said, this local company uses new, unused, brake bladders that failed inspection. No metal, so no metal in the mulch, and no use, so no road contaminants. The first summer we had some dust from the coloring process, which in retrospect I probably would just do black, but since then we have had no problems with anything on the kids, etc.
My husband is a physician, and has spent many years treating head injuries from playgrounds. He was adamant that we get the safest possible covering. The cushioning from rubber is leagues above the other options. And, it is not a good medium to grow other problems, such as the mold that people are allergic to in wood chips, and the parasites found in sand due to local cats, etc. Also, unlike wood chips, this doesn’t not need to be replaced, fluffed, added to, etc., and the drainage is excellent, so there are no mold/mildew issues either within the mulch, nor where the play equipment touches the mulch. Inevitable falls are no big deal, there is no noticeable “off-gassing”, and I’ve never had any visitors complain about allergies or anything else, and we often entertain big groups of small kids.
We eat almost exclusively organic, belong to CSAs for our veggies and eggs, but all natural pet food, use minimal/no chemicals in our home and yard, and are cautious consumers in all areas of our lives. Weighing the risks and benefits, we have felt the rubber mulch we used to be a safe option, and continue to be happy with it.

Posted by Brandi on 07/14/2010 at 11:06 PM

If anyone has actually bought this stuff, I would get rid of it instead of trying to find other ways to use it. Tires, aside from being made up of a slew of chemicals that make them durable, are also made of very, very fine particles that can be inhaled, which can lead to a host of problems. Plus, just washing your hands doesn’t keep your body from absorbing chemicals.

Posted by Emily Lynne Ion on 05/04/2009 at 01:36 PM

Instead of wasting what you just bought, you could re-purpose it for use as mulch on flower garden beds or around shrubs and trees to help keep weeds down and hold moisture in. If you’ll be keeping it under your play set for the time being, encourage diligent hand washing after play and choose a different activity on any days you notice off-gassing (on particularly hot days you may notice an odor). Also, often this type of mulch has a “protective” coating. Definitely replace it when you see any signs of deterioration.

Posted by concerned mom on 03/29/2009 at 05:45 PM

we purchased this mulch last year for under our children’s swingset, clearly not knowing the dangers. how should we dispose of it? is it harmful if they just walk on it and don’t touch it with there hands? help!
concerned mom

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