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Are your kids safe at playgrounds?

By: Leticia Perez 

People in China have noticed respiratory health hazards when taking their kids to playgrounds that contain synthetic polyurethane.. A study prior to this one supported the emission of xylene and toluene diisocyanate (TDI) which are poisonous and can cause acute symptoms. A recent study on the PU tracks was observed to give off low emission of sulfur dioxide. The study focused on the possible health hazards or influence that sulfur dioxide would have on children. Mice were used to observe the intake of low emissions of sulfur dioxide which did cause acute upper airway problems. Such observations left a larger question whether or not the sulfur dioxide emission was the main component causing these problems in children as the study was observed in mice. Moreover, the sulfur dioxide emission did yield induced lung inflammation in mice but did not fully support sulfur dioxide being the main pollutant in humans. The sulfur dioxide emission is low enough to not be considered dangerous by the World Health Organization, however a conflict of interest is how much of the sulfur dioxide is being emitted and the time interval as small emissions of sulfur dioxide could not only harm humans but could potentially increase the sulfur content of the sulfur-cycle on earth. It is surprising to think that where children play can actually be a source of complications to their health. 


Fig. 1. Sulfur dioxide emission form PU running track samples. In situ measurement (A) and smog chamber simulation (B) under different conditions: UV radiation at 25 °C and 75 °C  

Reference 
W. Xu et al., Emission of sulfur dioxide from polyurethane foam and respiratory health effects. Environmental Pollution. 242, 90–97 (2018), doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2018.06.089.
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Comments

  1. Jasmine RodriguezSeptember 21, 2020 at 6:51 PM

    This posts title has a good attention grabber to lead someone to click on it and read more into the study of respiratory health. In addition, anything respiratory related is very important right now and educating themselves on this topic is trending. Overall, a good read with facts straight to the point!

    ReplyDelete
  2. M MendezOctober 22, 2020 at 12:23 PM

    Could this information be used to reconsider the use of polyurethane in playgrounds? This would then prevent the sulfur dioxide emissions, overall, and promote an environmentally sustainable focus of pollution prevention.

    ReplyDelete

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