For several years, Essco Safety Check has been providing X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) testing services to moms and dads, businesses, industries and government. We have first-hand knowledge to where lead and other potentially harmful heavy metals are found from our XRF testing. Recently, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) did an investigation, environmental testing, of bounce homes that children play in.
Their investigation found lead; in one bounce home that was more than 70 times greater than the legal limit of lead in a child’s product. They found a lead from a range of 5000 parts per million (PPM) to 29,000 PPM. The legal limit for lead in children’s products is 90 PPM for painted surfaces and 300 PPM for all other parts of the product.
With all the testing that Essco Safety Check has done, we have tested bounce homes in the past and our findings are very similar to that of CEHs. The issue with bounce homes is the material that the home is made of. It is typically made of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and PVC is a substrate that we have found to contain lead more than other typical substrates that children play with. When PVC is manufactured, a stabilizer is added in production to prevent Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) from forming, unfortunately the manufacturers tend to use lead as a stabilizer. This stabilizer does not bind well to the PVC molecule and can readily leach from the PVC material.
In some laboratory testing that Essco Safety Check has performed with several accredited laboratories in the Seattle, WA area, we have found that heat can play a factor in to the ability for lead to leach from PVC. The hotter the temperature that the PVC is exposed to the more likelihood that leaching can occur. The best thing for children to do after playing in a bounce home is to wash their hands and face, and avoid direct hands to mouth contact while playing in a bounce home. This is more critical for children under the age of 6, as they are more susceptible to the exposure of lead.
Lead is a neurotoxin that can cause many problems including; learning disabilities, anemia, hypertension, infertility and death among other problems. Children are more sensitive to lead exposure because of their size (mass) and greater absorption of lead. It is best to avoid lead exposure as there is no level of lead that is considered safe.
Know what is in your environment and mitigate harm.
