On March 31st this year, Clean Water Action and the Coalition for a Safe and Healthy CT, an advocacy group that aims to protect our children from toxic chemicals, held a press event to voice concerns over the use of recycled tire rubber as a ground cover in playgrounds and urge passing of the bill to ban its use. I saw firsthand the world in which the Coalition works and learned a few things about the legislative process, the science, and the impact of simply showing up to relay my concern. Here are three things I realized:
- Showing up is actually not that hard to do. Driving into the CT state capitol to the the Legislative Office Building is easy. And I managed to stand for a half hour with my two year old, and keep her occupied in front of the cameras, in order to express my support for this legislation. You can do it too; if you have interest in learning more and lending your support on these issues, learn more at cleanwater.org/connecticut
- Standing up for what you believe in is worth a little inconvenience. When the Coalition asked me to come with my kids to the press event on March 31st to show how much we care, I wasn't sure I could do it. My oldest daughter had a fever, had to stay home from school, and we had no child care plan other than me! My husband stepped in, knowing how important this issue is to the health of our children, and stayed home from work for the morning so I could attend.
- My presence was impactful. Adding to the voice of the Coalition to support the passing of a piece of legislation is humbling and empowering. Representatives and the Coalition work SO hard to bring awareness, digest the science for the general public, relay our concerns and rally the masses, but the impact of a mom holding her child and talking about her concerns can be massive. The legislators listen.
The reason we care so much is because tire rubber is not a natural material, being made of toxic chemicals such as benzene, mercury, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, styrene-butadiene, arsenic, heavy metals and other carcinogens. Children young and old playing at the playground on this surface are exposed via ALL routes of exposure: inhalation, absorption and ingestion. And when the material gets hot, the chemicals "off-gas," into the air. While the use of old tires as ground cover on our playgrounds seems like a solution for what to do with all our discarded tires, it's absolutely NOT. Weighing the risks, it is not an acceptable solution.
We absolutely need to do better for the health of our kids. A HUGE thank you to Clean Water and the Coalition for protecting our children from toxic chemical exposures. I am proud to be a part of their mission.
