CITY HALL — Council Members Bill de Blasio and Jessica Lappin introduced legislation in the Council to protect children from the dangers of hot mats at city playgrounds during the peak summer months. The black, tiled mats underneath playground equipment can reach temperatures more than 166 degrees Fahrenheit. On hot summer days, these mats can pose a considerable danger to children.
The legislation, Intro 896, requires that the city post signs at all playgrounds warning parents and children of the potential dangers of hot playground mats. NYC Park Advocates, a local organization dedicated to restoring and improving the city’s parks and playgrounds, has done dedicated research on this issue and is credited with the temperature information cited in this release.
“Playgrounds should be a safe place for our children to enjoy themselves. Yet these mats there to protect children from dangerous falls have proven to be extremely harmful, particularly as the temperatures rise in the hot summer months. This legislation will help warn parents of this potential danger, and protect our city’s children from unnecessary and painful burns,” said de Blasio, whose district includes several Brooklyn neighborhoods.
“The current signs saying ‘footwear should be worn’ just don’t cut it.
The temperature of these mats can reach 165 degrees. They can severely burn children and parents and caretakers need to be appropriately warned,” said Lappin.
In 2004, for example, a little boy was hospitalized for three days for second-degree burns that he sustained while playing at Van Voorhees Playground in Brooklyn.
“The dangerous black rubber mats that have been installed in our New York City playgrounds have been a concern of Windsor Terrace and Kensington neighborhood families for some time. These mats have injured children, particularly newly walking tots. Barring a full replacement of these mats, which we hope will ultimately happen, a warning sign of their potential danger posted in our playgrounds is absolutely critical. Friends of Greenwood Playground is in full support of this legislative proposal presented by Councilmembers Bill de Blasio and Jessica Lappin,” said Patti McDannell of Friends of Greenwood Playground.
“These playground mats (which have been reported to reach temperatures of over 160 degrees) are a real danger that every parent needs to know about. Fortunately, more of our children have not been harmed by unknowingly walking on them barefoot but something must be done before there are any more injuries. As a community with a substantial population of toddlers and elementary school age children and several playgrounds, the Windsor Terrace Alliance supports the proposed de Blasio/Lappin legislation,” said Lauren Collins, Co-Founder of the Windsor Terrace Alliance.
————————
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2008
All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law.
Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net
