The Crumb Rubber Debate is a Great Example ...

of what's wrong with our deregulated, underfunded country. Because there is no conclusive research that demonstrates that this playground surfacing material is unsafe, we think it must be safe. "The Government wouldn't allow a dangerous product on the market, and certainly not a children's product.
In fact, no research has been done on it, despite concerns stemming from the source of Crumb Rubber: material we don't want in our landfills because it's too toxic. So we can believe whatever we want to believe about crumb rubber -- no one can prove anything about it -- positive or negative.
Perhaps a well-intentioned tire recycler thought the impact protection crumb rubber provides overwhelmed concerns that it was too toxic for a landfill and thought they were solving a problem to grind it up and use to pave playgrounds. Or maybe a cynical businessman saw an opportunity to create profit from problematic trash, and thought no one can demonstrate it's toxic in a playground application, and it will prevent kids from breaking bones from a fall off the monkey bars.
As consumers, we have to begin to ask: "Has this been tested?," when encountering new products. In most cases, we won't be able to answer that question because no research will have been done on the vast majority of products we encounter. This lack of inspection and testing extends to our food system as well. For example, the FDA and Agriculture Departments test when there is a disease outbreak, but in general not before.
U.S. corporations have lobbied hard to ensure that they don't have to prove their products are safe, so it falls to the underfunded EPA, FDA, or other government office to test them. Meanwhile we consumers play on blissfully in the false security that gives confidence in a system that has been set up to dupe us.