Playgrounds filled with mulch from wooden pallets: Are your kids at risk?

 

Playgrounds filled with mulch from wooden pallets: Are your kids at risk?

Yes, they are. A quick glance at some science and a few industry facts show how. Let’s take a look.

First, it’s well established that wooden pallets can harbor deadly pathogens and bacteria. Numerous tests on wood pallets across the country, followed by high-profile media reports, clearly show the risks that wood pallets pose to our food supplies.

It is also well documented that wood pallets contain virtual cocktails of toxic chemicals, both through direct application to kill pests and invasive insects and through materials used to make them (not to mention the chemicals spilled on them in their day-to-day use). For example:

• Methyl bromide is applied to wood pallets to kill invasive pests on shipments coming into the U.S. Because it is so toxic, methyl bromide will soon be banned through the UN’s Montreal Protocol.
• The chemical 2,4,6 tribromophenol, which is banned in the U.S. because of its toxicity, is applied to wooden pallets in other countries as a wood preservative and flame retardant. The chemical was applied to wooden pallets transporting J&J medicines, which contaminated millions of Tylenol, Benadryl, Motrin and other J&J products. The chemical is blamed for the largest series of product recalls in J&J’s history, which began in December 2009 and continues today.
• Formaldehyde is used in the manufacture of composite blocks, or “engineered wood,” used in millions of wooden pallets. Formaldehyde is listed as a potential carcinogen.

It’s also well established that old wooden pallets—millions of them—are ground up for mulch every year. An industry report shows that the volume of ground or chipped wood pallets increased from 92 million in 1992 to 303 million board feet in 1999. Industry experts estimate that more than one-half of the pallets ground or chipped by the pallet industry in 1999 went into the production of mulch. This mulch ends up in myriad places—from bulk mulch sold by landscape wholesalers and nurseries to bags sold at home improvement stores.

And here’s an important point: studies show that wood mulch can be hazardous and that pathogens and bacteria on wood chips can survive for more than two years. One study shows that samples of wood mulch were contaminated by arsenic, formaldehyde and other wood processing residues. Another study warns that using wood chips derived from wood packing materials—including wooden pallets—could increase the risk of introduction of pathogens to other areas and plants. The report notes that “infested wood chip mulch” can be a pathway for pathogens because pathogens can survive on wood chips for such a long time, exposing contamination risks to things coming in contact with the mulch. In fact, the authors conclude that risks associated with wood chip mulch are so real, they “justify stricter regulations on wood packaging materials.”

So, you think the wood chip mulch covering the playgrounds where your kids play is safe? Think again. The more you learn, the more you realize wooden pallets truly are a scourge and menace to each and every one of us—even our children.
Spread the word.

Playgrounds filled with mulch from wooden pallets: Are your kids at risk?