This is from today's news (New York Times) regarding the black rubber mat surfacing. Tip to anyone currently in a build...choose a lighter colored mat surface and consider installing some overhead canopies/shading otherwise, this too, could become a problem in your playspace in the future... no one wants to see kids getting hurt accidentally... another article on the subject (not the link below) featured a photograph of the boys burned soles of his feet.
Please read the full article at the link below:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/are-playground-safety-mats-too-hot-to-handle/?hp
...two news accounts today — in The Daily News and in Metro New York — question whether the mats themselves pose a hazard: They can get so hot under the summer sun that they can burn bare feet.
The Daily News found that some of the mats could get as hot as 160 degrees. Two of the city’s burn centers evidently reported treating 10 cases of playground burns last year, and at least three lawsuits have been filed by parents over playground burns.
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