That's higher than the Times test, which found the arsenic level was about 11 times above Florida's safety limit. The city of Tarpon Springs also did its own tests, and found higher levels than the Times did. That playground remains closed. Tampa Parks Director Ross Ferlita says he thinks the Al Lopez playground is safe. Ferlita said children would have to ingest large amounts of tainted soil over the course of years for the arsenic to hurt them.
Scientists debate how much arsenic is dangerous.
A fight over the allowable amount of arsenic in drinking water has been raging for more than 20 years in the U.S., with some scientists arguing for one level and others arguing for a level five times higher. President Bush has opted for the higher level, although a respected scientific panel found that even the lower level would lead to more cancer cases. In Florida, the wood-treatment industry hired Florida State University toxicologist Christopher Teaf, who concluded that the arsenic leaking out of the wood poses little health risk. Arsenic-free pressure treated lumber isn't yet widely available, and state officials hope to create a market for the safer wood. St. Petersburg Times.