Mahwah Parents Want Tire Mulch Removed From School Playgrounds

MAHWAH, NJ — A group of parents wants the tire mulch at several school playground removed, claiming it may pose a health hazard to kids.

Parents have been asking Superintendent C. Lauren Schoen to remove the mulch at George Washington, Betsy Ross, and Joyce Kilmer elementary schools since the fall of 2017.

The group cited an independent analysis by Yale University that found 11 known carcinogens, heavy metals, including lead, and 20 skin and lung irritants, from nine different samples of rubber mulch taken from playgrounds.

"For years parents have complained that the rubber tire chips used as playground cover was a nuisance," said Anne Powley, a member of the group of parents. "The mulch was installed somewhere around 1998 making it over 20 years old."

The tire pieces leave a black residue on kids' skin, clothes, and shoes, Powley said. The chips also end up in kids' shoes and clothes, and wind up inside homes.

More than 300 people have signed an online petition to persuade the Board of Education to replace the tire mulch.

Schoen said the Mahwah Board of Education "maintains its facilities in compliance with all acceptable state and federal laws." She recommended that the board consider replacing the tire mulch.

The Board of Education will make a decision about the project in June as part of its capital planning and budget process.

Powley said that June deadline "is not good enough."

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com