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Aug 31, 2006 8:49 am US/Eastern
Playground Dangers: Rubber Mats Cause Burns
BROOKLYN (CBS) ―
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Kian Mehran-Lodge and his mother at the playground where he burned his feet.
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Kian Mehran-Lodge's feet were severely burned on the rubber mats that were supposed to protect him from falls.
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Itamar Pres suffered second-degree burns on the bottoms of his feet.
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The gruesome burns landed 3-year-old Itamar Pres to the hospital for 11 days.
CBS
The black rubber mats at Van Vorhees playground in Cobble Hill are supposed to protect children if they fall from the jungle gym. But as pictures of Kian Mehran-Lodge's feet show, the mats themselves can be just as hazardous.
"He ran over from the sprinkler section to this protective matting. Within two seconds, he froze, started shaking and screaming. The skin was already blistering and literally dripping off of his feet," said Reyhan Mehran, Kian's mother.
The mats, used at countless city playgrounds, absorb heat. The air temperature was only 84 degrees the day Kian was burned two summers ago.
On the day CBS 2 visited the park, the temperatures outside were also in the 80s, but the mats heated up to 120 degrees. CBS 2 cameras saw small children run on and quickly run off the mats with their bare feet.
"I couldn't believe that this material that is put there to protect our children can put them in a life-threatening situation," said Reyhan Mehran.
The mats are just one of the heat hazards CBS 2 has uncovered at city playgrounds, particularly sprinkler parks where kids tend to take off their shoes.
Another boy suffered similar second-degree burns on his feet when he walked barefoot onto a metal ramp at a different park in Brooklyn.
Doctors say these burns are not uncommon.
According to Dr. Jerome Finklestein of the Staten Island University Hospital, "One hot day, I did my own test and felt it, and away from the sprinklers it can get hot, probably hot enough to cause a second degree burn."
The Parks Department told CBS 2 that it is now moving away from black rubber in favor of lighter colors in constructing new playgrounds. But the black rubber mats are still in use, and at least at one park, there are no signs warning parents about the heat danger
Parent Lisa Walsh is worried. "It's scary. It gives you more reason to keep the shoes on them," she said.
Kian's feet have completely healed, nut his parents have been so disappointed with the city's response, they're now suing the Parks Department.
The Parks Department would not comment on the lawsuit, but said that it is important for parents to keep shoes on their children, whether they're playing in the water or not.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
