THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 2, 1996 TAG: 9610020613
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: 59 lines
Despite a 1978 ban on lead-based paint in public playgrounds, some slides and other equipment may be coated with the paint that could endanger children, the government said Tuesday.
``This is what we call a hidden hazard,'' said Kathleen Begala, spokeswoman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The commission tested paint from 26 playgrounds in 13 cities. Of those, 16 playgrounds in 11 cities had dangerously high levels of lead.
That included Chicago, which had one playground with yellow paint that was 8.8 percent lead - more than 17 times the hazardous level of 0.5 percent.
Lead poisoning is most common in children age 6 and younger who touch paint chips or dust and then put their hands in their mouths. Lead poisoning can lead to behavioral problems, learning disabilities, hearing problems and stunted growth.
In addition to the commission's independent tests, it has received reports of lead paint on 125 playgrounds in 11 cities, many of which had begun to reduce the hazard, the commission said.
That includes Austin, Texas, which found lead-based paint on 30 of the 90 playgrounds it tested, Begala said.
Playground manufacturers have been barred from using lead paint since 1978, Begala said, and there is no suspicion that they have broken the law. Rather, she said, equipment has been repainted with lead-based paint that is supposed to be used only for industrial uses such as highway markings.
Lead-based paint is often found in older homes, where it was routinely used until the hazard was identified. Whether on walls or on playgrounds, it is only dangerous if it is peeling or chipping off its surface.
Parents concerned about nearby playground equipment with deteriorating paint should contact the playground's owner and ask that the paint be tested by an accredited laboratory, the commission said.
The following cities had playgrounds with at least one type of paint at the hazardous lead level: San Francisco; Pasadena, Calif.; Miami; Chicago; New Orleans; St. Paul, Minn.; New York; Portland, Ore.; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh and Memphis, Tenn.
Two playgrounds tested in Lakewood, Colo., and two in Dallas did not turn up a hazardous lead level. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
LOCAL LEAD PAINT TESTS
About two years ago, South Hampton Roads cities investigated
their playgrounds and corrected any problems found.
In Chesapeake, tests found that 27 of about 70 playground pieces
exceeded the federal standard for lead.
In Virginia Beach, 27 of 161 pieces of equipment tested had
unacceptably high lead levels.
In Portsmouth, some of the equipment tested had problems.
In Suffolk, none of the equipment tested had lead-based paint.
In Norfolk, where most of the playground equipment is unpainted
steel, tests at more than 100 parks turned up only five pieces that
had lead paint. by CNB