The Well News, October 28, 2025
Many communities are renovating playgrounds using materials that were never proven safe for children’s long-term use. As a scientist and a grandparent, I’m very concerned that young children are being exposed to toxic materials as they play, day after day and year after year. You should be too.
Are these materials being used in your community, perhaps even in your home? This is what you need to know.
Rubber playground surfaces, tiles and even garden mulch are the surprising culprits. They are often very attractive and colorful, and may cover your community playground, K-12 play area or daycare floor. You may have seen them advertised online for flooring for a playroom or to use in your backyard under swing sets and other play equipment.
I used to think that rubber is a safe and natural material that comes from a rubber plant, but most rubber is a synthetic product that combines natural rubber (latex) and chemicals from petroleum. Numerous studies show that chemicals found in rubber disrupt our hormones and can cause serious health problems, contributing to obesity, early puberty, and attention problems such as ADHD. They can eventually cause cancer.
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