This email comes from the BoCoCa Parents group and touches on an issue that has been in the news and is of importance to anyone that takes their kids to Brooklyn or NYC playgrounds–burns caused by the black mats under playground equipment:

Some of you have seen some of the press over the past month on infants, toddlers, and disabled children who have been severely burned by some of the black rubber mats under play equipment in NYC playgrounds…My older son is one of the many children who have been injured on these mats (he was burned 4 years ago when he was 14 months old – on the mats under the baby play area in VanVoorhees playground on Congress between Columbia and Hicks – those mats are still there in the direct sun). We know that children were burned on similar mats in NYC playgrounds before my son and that the Parks Department was notified and, despite our efforts and those of burn specialists in the area, many children have been burned since. These are not isolated incidents – the burn centers tell us that they see many of these babies and toddlers every year, not just in the summer but on clear sunny days. The burns are not only seen on feet but also on hands and knees. And there are perfectly acceptable alternatives available in safety surfacing.

I’m writing this because several elected officials have stepped up and suggested legislation of one kind or another to prevent these burns from occurring or investigations into why these materials are still in our playgrounds which is good (some include Melissa Marks of the NYC Council, Carl Kruger from the NYS 27th Senatorial District, and Betsy Gotbaum the NYC
Public Advocate). I would like our elected officials to know that parents are concerned about the issue and am asking anyone who is concerned about these materials to contact their elected officials to let them know that this issue is of concern to you, that you haven’t heard anything from them, and that you are wondering what their position is and what they are doing to ensure that unsafe mats are not used in our playgrounds. Here are some people whose offices I recommend contacting (others would be great too):

Christine Quinn, NYC Council Speaker – 212-788-7210
Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President – 718-802-3700
Bill deBlasio, City Councilperson 39th District – 718-854-9791
Helen Foster, Chair of the NYC Council Parks Subcommittee – 212-788-6856

The mats can be up to 40 degrees hotter than surrounding asphalt. Replacing them could cost up to $150 million. There have been stories about the mats for years. Channel Two measured the temperature of mats in July as high as 167 degrees.