Is play sand a health hazard?

HELPING PARENTS NAVIGATE TODAY’S BUSY WORLD
WWW.MOORESVILLETRIBUNE.COM
6A
FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2009
Study: Probiotics can
prevent colds in kids
In a study sponsored by
Danisco, the maker of probiotics products, researchers
found daily dietary probiotic
supplementation reduced the
incidence of cold and flu
symptoms in children.
Twice a day for six months,
one group of children received
a single strain of Lactobacillus
acidophilus NCFM, one group
received a combination of L
acidophilus NCFM and
Bifidobacterium animalis
subsp. lactis Bi-07, and a third
group received a placebo.
Compared to the placebo
group, the single and combination probiotics reduced
fever incidence by 53 percent
and 72.7 percent respectively;
coughing incidence by 41.4
percent and 62.1 percent;
and runny nose incidence by
28.2 percent and 58.5 percent.
Duration of symptoms and
use of antibiotics were
reduced in children receiving
probiotics, and they missed
fewer days of child care.
Experts: Dyslexia not
linked to vision
Learning disabilities affect
an estimated 2.6 million children in the U.S. between the
ages of 6 and 11. Learning
disabilities are complex, language-based disorders that
require complex solutions,
including early identification
and referral to qualified professionals.
Because they can be very
difficult to treat, learning disabilities have spawned a variety of controversial and scientifically unsupported alternative
treatments, including vision
therapy. Children with suspected learning disabilities should
receive only individualized,
evidenced-based diagnostic
and educational interventions
combined with psychological,
medical and vision-oriented
treatments as needed.
In a joint policy statement,
health officials set out recommendations for identifying and
treating dyslexia. While vision
problems can interfere with the
process of learning, vision
problems are not the cause of
dyslexia or learning disabilities. There is no scientific evidence to support the use of
eye exercises, vision therapy,
tinted lenses or filters to directly
or indirectly treat learning disabilities, and such therapies
are not recommended or
endorsed.
— SOURCE: AAP.ORG
Family Time
WWW.MOORESVILLETRIBUNE.COM
FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2009
Is play sand a health hazard?
Experts say the risk
is minimal, but some
parents are concerned
BY JULIE YOUNG
MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE
Cindy Bennett’s only initial concern with the sandbox in her son’s
first outdoor play set was the mess
it would create. She never thought
the threat of cancer would be the
issue that would keep Angus’ sandbox empty to this day.
“When we went to Lowe’s, Home
Depot, et cetera, to find something
to fill that box, it seems that most
play sand really isn’t sand at all,
but it seems to be derived from
quarried quartz rocks,” said
Bennett, an agent with RE/MAX
Real Estate.
Crystalline silica dust from the
engineered sand, considered a lung
hazard, is regulated by the
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration in industrial settings. It’s recognized as a carcinogen by the Environmental
Protection Agency — “not really
what I want my little guy playing
in and throwing in the air,”
Bennett said.
There have been no documented
cases of children developing cancer from play sand. Most warnings
refer to frequent, long-term exposure.
Nevertheless, sandbox play is
the latest beneficial developmental
activity to have lost its innocence.
Lead in swing-set coatings, pool
drains that can trap children
underwater, carcinogenic plastic in
drinking vessels and toxic play
sand are seen as either true causes
for concern or just the latest causes
for overprotective parents.
On the numerous online
mommy blogs, the issue, although
not a new one, pops up frequently.
“It’s been one of our most popular
posts,” said Katy Farber, author
and founder of http://www.nontoxickids.net, who bought sand for
her children’s box but left it bagged
in her shed after researching its
contents.
One mother on a blog recently
noted that she was laughed at for
raising the question of sand safety.
“I know that I am hyper-vigilant
compared to many moms,” Bennett
said, “but I think there is a reasonable expectation that if something
is called ’play sand,’ it should be
safe for play.”
Quikrete and other brands marketed as play sand contain not only
crystalline silica but traces of the
mineral tremolite, a form of
asbestos. For those reasons,
California requires a warning label
— part of the state’s Proposition 65
governing hazardous substances —
on play-sand bags. The label states
that the product contains chemicals known “to cause cancer, birth
defects and reproductive harm.”
In Home Depot and Lowe’s
stores, 50-pound bags of Quikrete
Play Sand sell for about $3.50.
There are no warning labels on the
“
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
I know I am hyper-vigilant ... but I think there
is a reasonable expectation that if something is
called ‘play sand,’ it should be safe for play
Cindy Bennett, mother
bags unless they’re sold in
California, according to Quikrete.
A tear-off information sheet
near the displays notes the sand is
“washed, screened and dried.” A
fact sheet from Quikrete calls the
sand “a perfectly safe product.”
The fact sheet pointed out that
silica is found in a variety of manufactured materials, including
pharmaceuticals, household cleaners and glassware. It noted that
Proposition 65 “does not distinguish between long-term intense
exposure to silica in industrial contexts such as sandblasting and
occasional exposure in outdoor
sandboxes.”
However, Quikrete recommends
that consumers dampen the sand
to minimize the possibility of
ambient silica in the air.
“The idea of keeping it moist is
ridiculous,” Farber said. “Kids are
going to be pouring it or playing in
it on dry summer days. You can see
the dust in the air as it’s being
poured. It’s easily ingestible.”
Dr. Rutherfoord Rose, a toxicologist and director of the Virginia
Poison Center, takes the issue with
a grain of sand.
“It’s mostly much ado about
nothing,” Rose said. “There’s a
real difference between casual
exposure in everyday living and
occupational exposure — working
in a quartz mine.”
The exception would be children
who have reactive airway disease
or other serious pulmonary issues,
he said.
Sandboxes in public playgrounds carry a whole other set of
issues, including animal waste.
The city of Richmond is phasing
out most playground sand in favor
of engineered mulch that a
spokesperson said would be safer
and cleaner. Remaining sand areas
in tot lots are cleaned “on a rotating basis,” she said.
In a debate on a mommy blog
called lilsugar.com, one anonymous poster noted that the beach
“is one giant sandbox. Are people
going to start boycotting their kids
from playing on the beach, too?”
The body “is pretty resilient
about handling small doses of
things,” Rose said. “There are
many more potential health risks
to children than a sandbox. I
wouldn’t hesitate to let my children
play in a sandbox.”
As for the labels, Rose said,
California warnings “are more
politically charged than scientifically charged.”
Rose said the Consumer Product
Safety Commission is testing play
sand for potential risks. If
researchers find it’s a hazard,
they’ll pull it from the market.
ALTERNATIVES TO
CRUSHED-QUARTZ
PLAY SAND?
Substitute beans, rice or pea
gravel in play bins, but only for
children above age 3 because
of the choking potential.
Avoid all-purpose or contractor’s sand, which has not been
washed to screen out breathable particles.
If you have deep pockets,
you can even buy beautiful
white silica-free sand online:
■ Safe Sand, (415) 971-1776,
is tremolite- and silica-free. It
costs $60 for a 50-pound box.
■ Sandtastik Classic Play Sand
also contains no silica, quartz
or tremolite. It’s sold on amazon.com in 25-pound boxes for
$21.92. Call (905) 734-7340
for more information.
If you’re especially industrious, you can make play sand
by a recipe posted on planetgreen.discovery.com. Mix 4
cups of dried, used coffee
grounds, 2 cups of cornmeal, 1
cup of flour and ½ cup of salt.
Dry the grounds in the sun or in
an oven on low heat. Be sure
the grounds are extremely dry
or they’ll mold. Stir ingredients
together and it’s ready for play.
Craft gone awry shatters Martha Stewart dreams
Two weeks ago my kittens
received a serious tongue
lashing, and it was all
Martha Stewart’s fault.
You remember Martha:
The domestic diva who
makes wreaths out of dust
bunnies and sews curtains
from old underwear. I’m not
a crafty person. Give me
some glue, glitter, and paper,
and about the only thing I
can make is a mess.
But every so often my
imagination inspires me.
Summer serves as a great
backdrop for creativity.
Relaxed schedules offer
opportunities to grab the
children’s attention and
engage in unique activities
never attempted.
Translation: Long days and
restless kids necessitate a
change in routine.
So I purchased a tie-dye
kit, unintentionally observing Woodstock’s 40th
anniversary. My son’s and
daughter’s eyes grew wide
when they saw the colored
powders, bottles, and rubber
bands. They started ripping,
grabbing, and squeezing
everything as I desperately
deciphered the directions
ahead of time
written in size five
would’ve been a
font on one piece of
good move, allowpaper.
ing for more
Our shirts turned
patience with the
out great, but the
four
little hands
adventure taught me
snatching the suptwo lessons. One, if
plies. I also failed to
you tie-dye, wear the
rubber gloves as
A MOM’S realize the wait
time involved with
suggested.
VIEW
tie-dying, which
Otherwise for three
doesn’t mix well
days you’ll look like you
with eager kids. And spendstrangled a rainbow with
ing 20 minutes scrubbing my
your bare hands. Two, when
attempting a craft, do so with children’s multihued bodies
little expectation of the activ- wasn’t part of the plan,
ity going exactly as intended. either.
Had I been ready for these
Reading the directions
antics, I probably wouldn’t
have been so stressed. And if
I wasn’t so stressed, I wouldn’t have lashed out at the kittens helping themselves to
that night’s dinner thawing
on the kitchen counter. Sure,
I would have been angry, but
not a dead ringer for Linda
Blair in the “Exorcist.“
Crafts. Martha makes
them look so easy. I forgot
that on television she has
adult assistants and the ability to say “cut!” when something goes awry. Moms enjoy
pint-sized helpers and have
to go with the flow of craft-
making traffic. Comparing
the experiences is like comparing apples to oranges —
both of which I’m sure
Martha uses for ornaments
on her organic Christmas
tree each year.
Looking back, though, it
was a fun adventure that
would be great material for a
scrapbook.
If I kept one.
Kelli Robinson is
the stay-at-home mother of
two. She lives in
Mooresville. E-mail her at
[email protected].