Agency Information Collection; CPSC Playground Surfaces Survey

The use of recycled tire material or “tire crumb” is commonplace for many athletic fields as well as children’s playgrounds. Playground surfaces derived from recycled tires are a popular option due to their low maintenance, variety of colors and designs, and ability to reduce the impacts from falls. Concerns have been expressed by a wide variety of stakeholders about the safety of playground surfaces derived from recycled tires. Although there have been investigations1 into the safety of using these materials that have not found adverse effects to date, there is no comprehensive study to understand the full effects of the use of these materials. In February, 2016, as part of their mission to protect the American public from hazardous consumer materials, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the interagency Federal Research Action Plan on Recycled Tire Crumb Used on Playing Fields and Playgrounds (“Plan”). The Plan’s objective is to identify the potential hazardous chemical exposure to children derived from recycled tire material used regularly on playgrounds throughout the United States. While parties including the EPA and CDC are working to shed light on the chemical hazards from recycled tire materials on athletic playing fields, CPSC is tasked with research to establish the level of risk and the extent to which children may be exposed to potential hazard(s) related to recycled rubber on playgrounds CPSC planned a two-part investigation. First, the CPSC conducted focus groups2 to gather data from a small sample of parents, childcare providers, and personnel responsible for the inspection and maintenance of playgrounds on their experiences and observations of how children interact with various types of playground surfaces, including those derived from recycled tires. This part is complete and not the focus of this proposal. The second part of CPSC’s two-part investigation is the current proposal. The proposed study consists of a survey of a geographically and demographically diverse sample of parents to better understand potential exposures based on children’s play behaviors on playgrounds. The proposed survey was developed using findings from the focus groups in the first part of CPSC’s investigation. The survey data will help the CPSC to estimate exposure and risk, and make recommendations regarding playground surfaces derived from recycled tires.

The latest form for Agency Information Collection; CPSC Playground Surfaces Survey expires 2021-10-31 and can be found here.