Callicoon

To the editor:

It’s great that the Upper Delaware Council is helping Damascus buy new playground equipment (“UDC PA grant helps with expanded Damascus Township Park Playground,” Dec. 31, 2021).

However, I hope the safety surfacing beneath the equipment is made of something other than recycled rubber, which can heat up to  over 160° F on a hot summer day.

Even more concerning, play surfaces made of recycled rubber contain toxic chemicals and carcinogens, which kids can inhale and ingest. These chemicals can also leach into the environment, both while the material is in service and once it is discarded of at the end of its useful life.

Safe alternatives to recycled rubber playground surfaces exist, such as the wood chips used at the Delaware Youth Center in Callicoon. I encourage the citizens of Damascus to urge the township to select a nontoxic option for their kids to play on.