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- Private Well Water
- Food Protection Program
- Subsurface Sewage Disposal (Septic)
- Adding an Addition
- Cosmetology Shops
- Water Conservation
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Asbestos
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Arsenic and Playscapes
- Lead
- Livestock and Manure
- Mold
- Radon
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Tools for Schools
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Arsenic and Playscapes
INFORMATION ABOUT OLD WOOD PLAYSCAPES
FOR SCHOOLS, DAY CARES AND TOWNS
FACTS
- Arsenic contamination is a potential concern for older
playscapes, built before January 2004 with pressure-treated wood.
- Arsenic is a poison and a known human carcinogen.
- The arsenic comes from CCA, a pesticide preservative composed of
chromium, copper and arsenic, was embedded in the wood of these
structures.
- If the structure has not been properly sealed and maintained,
the arsenic can slowly leach out of the wood, causing contamination
of the play structure and the soil beneath it. Proper sealing
consists of annual sealing with an oil-based stain or wood sealant
and routine maintenance of high use areas, such as stairs and
flooring.
- A recent investigation of a school in eastern Connecticut found
arsenic concentrations on the wood surfaces of the playscape as well
as in the soil underneath. Some of the concentrations were 9 times
the CT DEP remediation cleanup standard.
ACTIONS SCHOOL AND TOWN ADMINISTRATORS CAN TAKE
 Confirm
that the wood is CCA-based either by checking with the supplier/builder
or by taking a small sample of wood and obtaining an arsenic analysis.
Laboratories certified to analyze arsenic in drinking water or soil
should be able to do this test and instruct you in taking a sample.
If the playscape contains elevated arsenic, test any exposed soil
beneath the structure. (Note: Playground injury barriers or woodchips
that are periodically replaced do not absorb and leach arsenic the way
soil does.) This need not be an expensive or large sampling effort.
(5-10 samples depending upon the size of the structure.)
Seal the playscape with an oil-based stain or oil-based wood sealant.
(Water-based products and/or paint are not recommended.) This involves
applying the coating with a paintbrush after cleaning the surfaces to
remove dirt and debris. Do not powerwash or sand the playscape .
Cover the contaminated soil with fresh sand, wood chips or other injury
barrier material. Consider removal of contaminated soil (above 10 parts
per million) in any areas that do not receive fresh covering.
Reseal the playscape once per year in the spring, although touch up
high-wear area (stairs and floorboards) every 6 months.
Removal of the playscape is not necessary but is an option worth
considering given that more current pressure-treated and composite woods
are not arsenic-based and thus safer and need less maintenance.
(This information was taken from the State of CT, Department of Public
Health, Environmental Health Section Circular Letter #2008-54, dated
July 10, 2008. This fact sheet was prepared by Quinnipiack Valley Health
District, July 2008.)
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