• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.6 no.3
• /
• pp.206-221
• /
• 2012

Hazardous chemicals can be released from artificial turf used in some school playgrounds. To distinguish between Health risk assessment (HRA) exposure scenarios for this study, the ratio of elementary, middle and high schools was considered before final selection. Considering exposure pathways (inhalational, oral and dermal), media and materials were examined, targeting hazardous chemicals released from artificial turf playground-related products. Upon evaluation, the quantity of infill chips was shown to exceed the domestic product content standard (90 mg/kg) at eight (16%) out of 50 schools. PAHs were shown to exceed standards (10 mg/kg) at two (4%) out of the 50 schools. The excess cancer risk (ECR) of carcinogens was shown to be $1{\times}10^{-6}$ in most users for the worst exposure scenario. In children with pica, who represented the most extreme exposure group, the ECR was expected to be as high as $1{\times}10^{-4}$, showing the low risk level of carcinogens. The hazard index (HI) for individual chemicals was shown to be low, at around 0.1 or less, except for children with pica, according to the mean exposure scenario of artificial turf playground exposure. However, the HI was shown to exceed 1.0 in children with pica. Therefore, no direct health risk was found in using artificial turf playgrounds and urethane flooring tracks for the mean exposure scenario, except in children with pica.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.39-49
• /
• 2008

A study was carried out on the physico-chemical properties of soil and content of heavy metals and benzo(a)pyrene that might have been introduced through by-product fertilizers or air pollution to growing turfgrass at natural turfgrass playgrounds in elementary schools located at the western coast and eastern mountain areas in Jeollabuk-do, Korea. The soil of turfgrass playgrounds is composed of loamy sand, and the CEC and organic matters were very low. Compared to agricultural land in Korea, the concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were very low, requiring control in terms of nutrients. The contents of total and fraction heavy metals in soil were found to be background level. The reason may lie in the fact that unpolluted sand soil or sand was used to construct the foundation for the natural grass playground in the first place. However, any change in oxidation-reduction conditions or acceleration of decomposition of organic compounds may release some heavy metals from the soil and be transformed into forms that may be easily absorbed by plants or grass. It is believed that sustained monitoring and environment impact assessments should be carried out. The contents of benzo(a)pyrene in soil showed an average 0.60ng/g with a range between 0.06 to 1.47ng/g. The detected contents were found as background level.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
• /
• v.45 no.10
• /
• pp.97-111
• /
• 2007

This study examined the actual conditions of outdoor facilities and evaluated safety evaluations levels in playgrounds based on types of kindergartens. The samples for the survey were 100 kindergartens in Seongnam city Gyeonggi-Do province. Most outdoor facilities consisted of playgrounds with sand area and complex playing equipments, while wood-working area, sensory playing area, and mud playing area were less equipped than other facilities. In the case of outdoor playing facilities there were meaningful environmental differences within kindergartens. The public has less diversity in play areas and equipments and providing safety guidelines in playgrounds than privates. The score for the safety evaluations in the outdoor play environment was higher than average. As the range outdoor playing facilities increased, safety was dually considered, while kindergartens with a higher ratio of child-teacher numbers exhibited less consideration to playground safety.

• 한국생활과학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2008.05a
• /
• pp.179-180
• /
• 2008

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.52-61
• /
• 2008

The purpose of this study is to investigate the children's different responses on the playground and facilities by the materials. For the study, the overall satisfaction on the playgrounds, the visiting frequency, the staying time, and olfactory and tactile responses were collected and analyzed by the materials. The materials for the playing facilities were categorized into 3 different groups ; steel, regular form wood and natural wood. The each group was also estimated and analyzed through the SD (sematic differential) scale which consisted of landscape adjectives. According the results, children liked and most highly scored the playground and playing facilities with natural wood in every items; overall satisfaction, visiting frequency, the staying time, and olfactory and tactile. On the other hand, the steel facilities were most negatively assessed in almost every items. Especially children felt the steel facilities were not environmentally friendly and very boring, comparing to the others. However, only 6 cases were analyzed in this study, because there were few playgrounds with natural wood facilities, so it is necessary to research on more cases to generalize these results.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.32 no.5
• /
• pp.269-278
• /
• 2023

The pollution status of heavy metals in the soils of children's playground was investigated for a sustainable soil environment in urban parks of Seoul. As sampling sites, 281 locations were selected from a 7 districts in the Seoul city. The overall mean concentrations of the heavy metals (Cd 0.21 mg/kg, Cu 5.97 mg/kg, As 2.40 mg/kg, Pb 7.55 mg/kg, Zn 34.08 mg/kg, Ni 4.22 mg/kg, Hg 0.02 mg/kg and Cr6+ not detected.) in the soils of the palygrounds were lower than the worrisome level in criteria for area 1 in Korea soil environment conservation act. In addition, when the soil pollution grade (SPC) was evaluated as an average value, it was found to be less than 100, the first grade, at all points in the seven autonomous districts, indicating thatthe soil was in good soil condition. However, when evaluated as the maximum value, some of the five districts showed values of 100 or more. Therefore, it was found that continuous management and interest of the local government, which is the management body of children's playgrounds, is necessary for a safe soil environment.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.28-44
• /
• 2015

Granite soil has been used traditionally as a school playground surface. Natural turf has also been used in some schools. Recently artificial turf has come into common use instead of granite soil or natural turf. Artificial turf playgrounds are used at 174 schools in Seoul, Korea. More than 3,500 artificial turf fields are installed in the United States. Because of the increase of artificial turf usage, there are many studies about the estimation of artificial turf effects to environment. Compared with artificial turf material effects such as characterization of substances released from material, and recognition of volatility of heavy metal into the surrounding environment - air or the percolating rainwater -, less studies for thermal effects of artificial turf playground have been done. Especially, the corresponding studies in Korea are few. Thus, the purpose of this research is to compare the thermal effects of artificial turf on school playground between natural turf and granite soil. In this study, air temperature and Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) were compared in three scenarios by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model. Additionally, the results were validated through a field measurement. Air temperature decreasing effects by natural turf are greater than those by artificial turf and granite soil at 14:30 on 20th, July 2011. It shows the same decreasing effects at 23:30. However, the difference is less than that of daytime. PMV differences between natural turf and the other two surface covers are large at daytime while those are much less at nighttime. Consequently, air temperature and PMV of artificial turf are the highest among three school playground surface pavements.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.73-82
• /
• 2006

Dust samples were collected from 10 middle and high schools in the Gochang-Gun, Korea. Heavy metal concentrations were determined for the dry-deposited dusts from indoor and outdoor of classroom and playground of each sampling site. Concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in indoor's dusts were highly concentrated. Also concentrations of Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn in outdoor's dusts were highly concentrated. Concentrations of Cd, Cu and Zn in the dusts were much higher than the world average contents in soil and environmental orientation value. These levels are similar to those of the dust samples at middle schools and high schools located in Jeonju-city, Korea. Compared with concentrations of heavy metals in soils and dusts in Korea, the environment of indoor and outdoor of classroom is highly concentrated except for Cu, Zn. The concentrations of playground is less than that of residential dust and main road dust and playground in Jeonju-city. Playground dusts in 1 school exhibited the enhanced heavy metal pollution with a pollution index (Kloke, 1979) greater than 1.0, but indoor and outdoor dusts in 7 schools exhibited the enhanced heavy metal pollution with a pollution index (by Kloke) yester than 1.0.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.919-935
• /
• 2006

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between outdoor play environments and child's play behaviors. The data were collected by field measurement survey, and non-participatory observation from 9 child care centers in Daejeon. The field measurement survey were conducted from June 20 to July 20, 2004, whereas non-participatory behavior observation were conducted from September 2 to October 10, 2004. The major results showed the following. 1) The characteristics of outdoor play environment in child care centers showed that most of them were too small and did not use the adequate surfacing to play various activities. In many cases, outdoor play settings was made of play equipment setting, play props and manipulative settings, and tree/vegetation. 2) Child's play behavior has been focused on functional play activity and construction play activity. 3) The relationship between outdoor play environments and child's play behaviors showed that small outside play environment with monotonous construction and multi-complex play equipments produced functional play behaviors on children. On the other hand, where various play areas were put together, we could observe relatively diverse play behaviors. However, in some cases, despite the small and monotonous play area, diverse play behaviors were observed. These playgrounds at least differed from others in that they provided the place where multi purpose play was possible. This finding shows that multi purpose play areas can be an alternative in small playground environment.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.29 no.5
• /
• pp.51-59
• /
• 2001

This paper presents a design of the Dasan Children\`s Park which is located Shindang- dong, lung-gu, Seoul which has an area of about 3,678$m^2$. Objectives for the design were to make nature-friendly space, learning space, interesting play space, space for every child, adventure play space, traditional play space, sense of place, and recycle space. For the space compositions a children\`s garden, a traditional play space, and a science play space were located around the S shaped main route. Facilities relating nature, science, culture. environment and adventure play were arranged in the 3 main spaces. The Children\`s Garden is a green space for learning and playing with natural elements. It is composed of a ecological learning space, a children\`s story garden, a children\`s song road, an environmental labyrinth, and a pall space leer handicap children. The Science Play Place is a place space for learning scientific theories through plays to which scientific theories were applied. It is composed of a total play structure, a math experience playground, a \"Keojunggi\" play space, a sound reflecting experience space, arid an infant playground. The Traditional Play Madang(space) is a space for traditional plays. It is composed of a traditional play pattern, a sun dial, and a floor fountain. The Recycle Road is a dragon shaped road fort learning about resource recycling and conservation. It is composed of a dragon head, body, tail space and a dragon bead(cint mani).int mani).