School of Public Health, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa, 3498838, Israel.
Ministry of Health, Jeremiya Street 39, Jerusalem, 9446724, Israel.
J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2022 May;32(3):392-399. doi: 10.1038/s41370-021-00396-4. Epub 2021 Oct 25.
Synthetic materials, increasingly used for indoor and outdoor surfaces including homes and playgrounds, may contain toxic chemicals. Infants have a higher potential of exposure to chemicals in these materials, which may pose a risk to their health.
To understand potential risks related to outdoor surface coverings, based on a review of the literature and regulations, and to assess levels of hazardous chemicals in surface coverings in Israel.
We reviewed the literature and regulations on artificial turf. We tested 46 samples of surfaces for trace metals in synthetic playground surfaces; trace metals, phthalates, and di(2-ethylhexyl) terephthalate (DEHT) in synthetic grass, and phthalates, DEHT and formaldehyde in laminate flooring.
Twelve studies reporting high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and varying levels of trace metals in synthetic playground surfaces were identified, as well as five international regulations on lead with maximum acceptable concentrations in the range 40-500 mg/kg. Surface tests showed that 20 out of 30 samples of synthetic playground surfaces exceeded relevant standards for trace metals, of which five had cadmium levels ≥30 mg/kg and four had chromium levels ≥510 mg/kg. In synthetic grass, three out of eight samples exceeded relevant standards, with lead levels ≥1200 mg/kg. In Laminate flooring (n = 8) formaldehyde levels were in the range of 0.7-1.2 mg/m formaldehyde, and five samples contained ~5% DEHT.
The literature on chemicals in surfaces is limited, but indicates some exceedance of regulatory limits. Trace metals in synthetic playground surfaces and synthetic grass, not regulated in Israel, exceeded relevant international standards in 72% of samples. Laminate flooring, regulated for formaldehyde, did not exceed the 3.5 mg/m standard, but contained DEHT, a replacement for ortho-substituted phthalates. The results of this preliminary study show that flooring surfaces may be a source of children's exposure to toxic chemicals.
Synthetic surfaces are increasingly being used in, for example, children's playgrounds and sports fields. Exceedances of regulatory limits from other jurisdictions, of heavy metal levels in most outdoor surfaces sampled in Israel indicates the potential for children's exposure. Domestic regulations should be implemented to reduce the risk to children from exposure to these surfaces.
用于室内和室外表面（包括家庭和操场）的合成材料可能含有有毒化学物质。婴儿接触这些材料中的化学物质的潜在风险更高，这可能对他们的健康构成威胁。
根据文献综述和法规，了解与户外表面覆盖物相关的潜在风险，并评估以色列表面覆盖物中有害化学物质的水平。
我们回顾了人造草皮的文献和法规。我们测试了 46 个合成游乐场地表面的痕量金属样本；合成草皮中的痕量金属、邻苯二甲酸酯和二（2-乙基己基）对苯二甲酸酯（DEHT），以及层压板地板中的邻苯二甲酸酯、DEHT 和甲醛。
确定了 12 项报告合成游乐场地表面高浓度多环芳烃（PAH）和痕量金属的研究，以及五项关于铅的国际法规，规定了 40-500mg/kg 范围内的最大可接受浓度。表面测试表明，30 个合成游乐场地表面样本中有 20 个超过了痕量金属的相关标准，其中 5 个的镉含量≥30mg/kg，4 个的铬含量≥510mg/kg。在合成草皮中，8 个样本中有 3 个超过了相关标准，铅含量≥1200mg/kg。在层压板地板（n=8）中，甲醛水平在 0.7-1.2mg/m 甲醛范围内，5 个样本含有约 5%的 DEHT。
关于表面化学物质的文献有限，但表明一些超出了监管限制。以色列未监管的合成游乐场地表面和合成草皮的痕量金属，在 72%的样本中超过了相关国际标准。受甲醛法规监管的层压板地板没有超过 3.5mg/m 的标准，但含有 DEHT，这是邻苯二甲酸酯的替代品。这项初步研究的结果表明，地板表面可能是儿童接触有毒化学物质的来源。
例如，合成表面越来越多地用于儿童游乐场和运动场。以色列采样的大多数户外表面的重金属含量超过了其他司法管辖区的监管限值，这表明儿童可能接触到这些物质。应实施国内法规，以降低儿童接触这些表面的风险。
