Sandbox Safety Alert: Parents and Educators Must Read the Label
San Francisco, California (PRWEB) June 07, 2014 -- It is important to read the label before adding sand to your child’s sandbox. Recent landmark legislation, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), requires lead testing for plays and and all toys marketed to children.
Summertime inevitably means kids in sandboxes, a childhood pastime with a proven track record as beneficial developmental play. But not all sand sold in stores and found in sandboxes is safe for children. Much of the sand sold in hardware and landscape stores is derived from crushed quartz rock and contains crystalline silica dust, a known carcinogen and cause of a fatal lung condition called silicosis.* The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) warn against inhaling crystalline silica dust for workers, indicating the use of protective clothing and masks during occupational exposure.
According to Mona Lisa Wallace, founder of SafeSand.com: "Many children play in sandboxes at school, home or in parks almost daily -- so if it is not safe for a 200 pound construction worker to inhale crystalline silica (CS) dust, why should it be safe for preschoolers and teachers?" Purchasing sand from hardware stores, not labeled for use by children, may mean that the sand has not been tested for lead and other dangerous contaminants. In California, a Prop 65 warning label is required on bags of sand containing CS dust. In many other states, sand bags can be found with the words: "not labeled for sale in California." Federally, a new landmark law, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) requires that products marketed to children be lead and safety tested, however this would not apply to sand packaged for construction use.
The Safe Sand Company was founded for the purpose of distributing a safe, non-hazardous, sterilized playsand for children, parents, child care professionals and educators everywhere.
For more information, contact andre(at)safesand(dot)com
- Based on Material Data Safety Sheets (MSDS) of two leading hardware store sand brands
Media Contact: Andre Champagne
E-Mail: andre(at)safesand(dot)com
Phone: 415-598-8679
Sandbox Safety Alert: Parents and Educators Must Read the Label
Andre Champagne, SafeSand.com, http://www.safesand.com, +1 (415) 598-8679, [email protected]
Share this article