ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************
Hi Lisa-
I spent awhile looking into this last month, as we used bags of "play
sand" outdoors in a raised sandbox last summer and a staff member
commented (late in the season) that it was pretty dusty.
Here are a few things I have found so far to help get you started.
Dust can be a concern. All sand has silica in it, and in California
they have to put warning signs on the bags because sand has been used in
industrial processes, where the silica dust has been known to lead to
health issues (lung disease) in the event of long term exposure. But
I've seen geologists and others who have posted that it isn't about the
silica it is about dust- that if you were exposed long term to flour
dust or chalk dust, for instance, that there would doubtless be health
issues there also. So if you're really concerned (or indoors in
particular), you can wash your sand first (just put it in a tub and the
dust will float to the top apparently), or find coarser sand. They make
sand without dust for swimming pool filters, but it is made to be coarse
(and has to be replaced when it has worn smooth) so I wouldn't use it in
a sandbox.
There are some companies that sell a different type of sand, made out of
feldspar I think- which also contains silica by the way-- but they've
got very low dust. It's quite expensive as it is shipped to you. It
might be worth it for indoors (and I believe some museums do use this),
but it would be expensive for large, outdoor settings (we go through a
lot of sand, as it keeps getting dumped out).
There are "National Health and Safety Performance Standards" from the
National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care (NRC) at
http://nrckids.org . The entire document (2nd edition, published in
2002) can be downloaded but you really need section 5.180 about sandboxes:
http://nrckids.org/CFOC/HTMLVersion/Chapter_5.html
You'll see some links on the internet that mention pea gravel or
sterilized sand, and those are from an older set of standards from
before 2002.
When I talked to the person at NRC last month, she said they had updated
their standards recently, but until they were approved in full sometime
this month, she could not tell me what they would say, if there were any
changes, etc.
Someone I talked to last month who makes playground surfacing suggested
#30 silica sand made for contractors, as it is non-abrasive (rounded-if
you look with a magnifying glass), and clean and sterilized. Now that
spring has finally come, I'm going to get a bag this week and see what
it is like.
Looking forward to hearing from other folks!
Kathy Krafft
Exhibitions Curator
Sciencenter
Ithaca, NY
Lisa Chappa wrote:
>ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
>Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
>*****************************************************************************
>
>I would like to know what kind of sand others are using for sand boxes or
>dino dig areas. We turn a large section of our museum into a giant sand box for
>"Sandtastico" on July 4th weekend through the rest of the summer. We have used
>masonry sand in the past because it is the right texture, but when looking it
>up, it appears that maybe masonry sand has carcinogenic materials in it? I'm at
>a loss. We want to provide a safe environment for our kids, but would hate to
>cancel this event that has become the highlight of our summer for the last 3
>years. I'd appreciate any opinions or ideas.
>
>
>Lisa Chappa
>Program Director
>Imaginarium of South Texas
>(956) 728-0404
>
>***********************************************************************
>For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
>
>Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.
>
>The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
>http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.
>
>To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
>message SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
>[log in to unmask]
>
>
>
>
***********************************************************************
For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.
Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.
The ISEN-ASTC-L email list is powered by LISTSERVR software from L-Soft. To learn more, visit
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]
|
