No. of playgrounds inspected: 26
No. of cities sampled: 13
No. of playgrounds with equipment with lead-containing (Pb) paint:
Median % Lead (Pb) found:
Age of Equipment (range): 14-45 years (4 of the 5 cities reporting age of playgrounds being 25 - 45 years old)
Chart A summarizes the CPSC analysis of paint scrapings it took from playground equipment at 26 playgrounds selected from 13 cities across the United States. The playgrounds were selected because they contained old playground equipment. The cities were selected to provide broad geographical representation. Twenty of the playgrounds in 11 cities had playground equipment with lead-containing paint in excess of 0.06 % (w/w). The remaining two playgrounds from these 11 cities did not contain equipment with lead-containing paint in excess of 0.06% . Equipment from the other four playgrounds, in two cities, did not have levels of lead above 0.06 %.
The content of lead in excess of 0.06 % (w/w) on the playground equipment ranged from 0.07 % to 8.76 % with a median level of 0.87 %. Sixteen of the 20 playgrounds had levels of lead at or above 0.5 percent with a median lead level of 1.47% and a range from 0.62 % to 8.76 %. Ten of the cities with levels of lead-containing paint in excess of 0.06 % on their playground equipment reported that they repainted the equipment.
Because only two playgrounds were tested in each city, the inclusion of a city in this chart does not imply that all playgrounds in that city have equipment with lead-containing paint in excess of 0.06 %. In addition, the lack of finding lead at levels that exceed the regulation does not imply that all playgrounds in that city are below 0.06 %.
| No. of playgrounds tested | No. of Cities /States surveyed | # of playgrounds with equipment with lead-containing paint in excess of 0.06% | Range of Lead found | Type and Frequency of Control Measure |
| 223 | 19 cities in 9 states and the District of Columbia and 3 State offices | 125 from 11 cities* | 0.09 - 29% | 8 cities reported removal or repainting; 2 repainted and did not remove equip.; 1 had not decided on fix; considered hazard level low. |
* 3 cities did not have actual results to report
Chart B reflects the results as reported to CPSC investigators regarding the analysis of painted playground equipment by state and city employees. The staff received reports from 19 cities in 9 states, the District of Columbia and three state offices. In 11 cities, 125 playgrounds had lead-containing paint on their playground equipment in excess of 0.06% (w/w). The content of lead in the paint from the equipment reportedly ranged from 0.09% to 29%.
| City, State | Sample Number | Paint & sand or soil* |
Test Results % Lead (w/w) |
Age of equipment if known |
Repainted by City When painted |
| San Francisco, CA | 96-860-5723 | red sand |
0.025 < 0.001 |
Not reported | Not reported |
| 96-860-5724 | dark red sand |
1.474 0.002 |
Not reported | Not reported | |
| Pasadena, CA | 96-860-6230 | red/green red/green yellow red/green soil |
0.896 0.071 0.011 0.093 N.D. |
Not reported | Not reported |
| 96-860-6231 | red/orange yellow dark red rust orange soil |
0.069 N.D. N.D. 0.174 N.D. |
Not reported | Not reported | |
| Lakewood, CO | 96-860-6272 | yellow soil |
0.02 0.007 |
At least 15 yrs. | Yes, 2 layers of paint |
| 96-860-6273 | red blue purple soil |
0.02 0.022 0.029 0.003 |
At least 15 yrs. | Yes, 6 layers of paint | |
| Miami FL | 96-800-2836 | orange orange gray black green red orange red yellow all soil |
0.008 N.D. N.D. N.D. N.D N.D. 0.6228 0.799 N.D. N.D. |
Not reported | Yes, multiple layers |
| 96-800-2837 | black orange orange black brown orange orange orange orange red brown all soil |
N.D. N.D. N.D. N.D. N.D. N.D. N.D. 0.026 0.021 0.726 N.D. N.D. |
Not reported | Some equipment had multiple layers of paint | |
| City, State | Sample Number | Paint & sand or soil* |
Test Results % Lead (w/w) |
Age of equipment if known |
Repainted by City When painted |
| Chicago, IL | 96-830-3733 | yellow red soil |
8.755 0.021 0.004 |
35-45 yrs | Yes |
| 96-830-3734 | yellow orange green/gray yellow/orange blue/orange yellow yellow soil |
2.204 0.009 0.004 0.006 0.189 0.002 6.564 0.055 |
35-45 yrs | Yes | |
| New Orleans, LA | 96-860-6040 | red yellow orange/yellow green soil |
2.354 0.034 0.068 0.036 0.010 |
No age indicated | Yes |
| 96-860-6073 | red green orange soil |
0.024 0.026 0.009 0.042 |
No age indicated | Yes | |
| St. Paul, MN | 96-830-3307 | yellow/red red/black soil |
0.047 0.076 0.001 |
sub 1: 14 years sub 2: 14 years |
repainted not repainted |
| 96-830-3308 | yellow red soil |
0.638 0.00 0.00 |
sub 1: 30-40 yrs. sub 2: 30-40 yrs. |
repainted repainted within last 3 years |
|
| New York, NY | 96-800-2938 | red/white red/white red black/white |
0.018 0.004 N.D. 0.064 |
Not reported | Not reported |
| 96-800-2939 | yellow red/white red/gray black/white soil |
N.D. 0.071 0.311 N.D. 0.015 |
Not reported | Not reported | |
| City, State | Sample Number | Paint & sand or soil* |
Test Results % Lead (w/w) |
Age of equipment if known |
Repainted by City When painted |
| Portland, OR | 96-860-6309 | red red green yellow red yellow yellow green red green yellow red yellow green red yellow green red green yellow green soil |
0.105 0.025 0.736 0.890 0.004 0.001 N.D. 0.008 0.007 N.D. 0.005 N.D. N.D. 0.013 N.D. 1.463 0.044 1.332 0.010 N.D. 0.042 N.D. |
Not reported | Yes |
| 96-860-6310 | red/blue yellow red/yellow gray soil |
0.844 2.440 1.648 0.248 N.D. |
Not reported | Yes | |
| Philadelphia, PA | 96-896-7842 | yellow/white concrete slab |
1.73 | 25 years | Not reported |
| 96-896-7843 | red/green concrete slab |
2.94 | 25 years | Not reported | |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 96-896-7715 | orange red/green blue yellow/green red yellow soil |
1.36 1.34 4.81 2.57 2.24 3.37 0.001 |
26 years | Yes-last 7-10 years |
| 96-896-7716 | green/orange yellow/green green soil |
0.74 1.7 0.101 0.007 |
26 years | Yes-last 7-10 years |
|
| Memphis, TN | 96-830-4113 | black red mixed soil |
N.D. 0.034 1.074 0.0 |
Not reported | Yes - Multi-layers of paint |
| 96-830-4114 | red orange soil |
0.247 5.005 0.0 |
Not reported | Yes - Multi-layers of paint |
|
| Dallas, TX | 96-860-5536 | blue blue/yellow red soil |
0.027 0.015 0.010 N.D. |
Not reported | No multiple layers of paint |
| 96-860-5537 | yellow blue soil |
N.D. N.D. N.D. |
Not reported | Not reported |
* The sand/soil samples were collected from beneath the playground equipment.
9/25/96