So, I'm trying to put a sandbox in our backyard for our 1 1/2 year old and I find that there's a controversy about the safety of "play sand." (And I thought it would be so simple!!! :)) Anyway, I found some play sand at Fred Meyer's made by Mutual Materials of Washington State and it says nothing on the bag about containing crystalline silica, nor does it have any State of California carcinogen warning label. Then again, it's being sold in Oregon, so perhaps they don't have to put the label on? Or can I presume that it's safe? Is anyone out there an expert on this issue?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks so much to everyone who responded! I received very helpful general information plus a couple of referrals to a place here in the metro area that carries play sand that doesn't have the problems of the quarried sand but is still affordable!
I don't know anything about play sand but I can tell you that especially cats and some dogs like to use it has their potty boxes. so if you use play sand you definitely need a lid for it.
N.
wife, mom, grandma and wellness coach
I'm not sure what the controversy is but I do know that I used to go and purchase "beach sand" because it was so much cleaner for the kids to play in. You can buy it by the bag and I think 3 50 lb bags took care of it for around $18.00. There's a rock place just off of 217 around Denney in Beaverton.
hi- we went through this when we put in our sandbox. i learned that unless the sand actually states that is free of crystalline silica, it contains it. there are websites that sell sand without CS. when i investigated all resources, i found that sand is sand, the same sand at the beach, the park, and our friends homes. so, we opted to purchase sand. the main thing is inhalation, so we spray it down a bit.
if i did it over, i would just have an area of regular dirt, muddy as it may, good ole dirt is so fun for kids, they can use all the same tools, and kids love it. i have contemplated taking out our box and adding a fun dirt pile.
i know this is a worry, it took me days to decide what to do. we parents have so many worries, and we just want our kids to be kids, have fun, and be safe. sometimes it's so hard. good luck! C..
You may already have researched this, but some other posters are apparently not aware that exposure to silica dust does NOT benefit our immune systems. Tiny, sharp silica crystals in dust simply scars the lungs, much like asbestos does, and eventually can result in silicosis, a very serious condition. I suffer from chronic lung disease which severely limits my ability to be active and enjoy life, and this could be at least partly due to silica dust I was exposed to 30 years ago on the job. I would not wish this condition on anyone.
The web offers contradictory information about this, but beach sand is thought to possibly be the best. If this is true, my guess is that sharp points have long since been ground off the grains, and repeated washing by the sea may have left them less likely to carry silica dust. But be aware that most light-colored sand is largely made of quartz, which IS SILICA.
I'm glad you are considering this problem, and I hope you end up with a safe solution. Little kids pouring sand are awfully close to whatever dust is raised. Hosing down your sandbox occasionally during the summer would probably help carry loose dust down to the soil surface.
Hi M.-
I just got sand last week from the place another poster mentioned - Oregon Decorative Rock, off Hwy 217 on Denny in Portland. They sell 50lb bags of beach sand for ~$8/bag. It's fine beach sand, not quarried sand, and is working very well for us.
If it is not safe for a 200 pound construction worker to inhale crystalline silica (CS) dust, why should it be safe for preschoolers and teachers?
It is absolutely important to read the label before adding sand to your child’s sandbox.
Recent landmark legislation, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CISPA) 2014, requires testing for playsand and all toys marketed to children. You can find more information here: http://safesand.stores.yahoo.net/resources1.html
I just went thru the same issue trying to fill my daughters sand box. I opted to just use the sand I could find and spray it down a bit as it is the inhalation that is the problem. I have heard of places in Oregon that sell beach sand, but couldn't find one in washington.
There are a few places on the internet that sell safe silica free sand at about 50.00 a bag.
jean's response is exactly what we do for our preschool and I do at home for my daughter and myself (asthma) we even buy it from the same place! Never had any problems in the 15 years I have been teaching!
My biggest issue with the cheap play sand (we got ours at Home Depot) is just that it is sort of dusty and dirty. I imagined that playing in sand would leave my little one sandy, but that it could be brushed off with a towel or whatever, like at the beach. Instead, anything she wears in the sandbox gets dirty and sometimes I can't get the marks out - especially out of socks. Also, when it gets wet it is more muddy-like than at the beach, and since it's wet so much here, it really diminished her ability to play with it, I felt. I plan to replace our cheap play sand this year with something cleaner.
Hubby used to work there...he said at the plant they call it "Silica Sand" but he says it is washed, and is thick rough sand....don't know if that helps or not.
We buy our sand from safesand.com and Lakeshore Learning. Good luck!~
