Hygienic safety of outdoor playgrounds with sandbox

Playgrounds represent danger of a direct input of hazardous substances into children`s organism, that`s why they require a special attention. The diploma thesis deals with hygienic safety of outside playgrounds with sandpits in scope of valid legislation and medical risks, which might be caused by contamination. The aim of the thesis is to assess the level of microbiological, parasitical and chemical contamination and hygienic safety of sand in outside playgrounds with sandpits in Hradec Kralove. To check the contamination, samples of sand were taken in outside playgrounds with sandpits destined for children in Hradec Kralove. Safety parameters of taken samples were rated according to notice No. 238/2011 Coll., about setting of hygienic requirements for swimming pools, saunas and hygienic limits for sand in sandpits of outside playgrounds. The evaluation of samples was concentrated on microbiological, chemical and parasitical contamination of sandpits, which was analyzed by Medical Institute based in Usti nad Labem. The influence of position of playground within the town (city center vs. outskirts), time of collecting samples and age of each sandpit were judged. The sandpits in Hradec Kralove in the years 2014 and 2015 were microbially contaminated over established limits only in one case. Parasitical or chemical contamination was not found in any case. Next conclusion is that sandpits at end of season are contaminated by microorganisms about 18 % more often than at start of season and at the same time that sandpits in city center are contaminated about 14 % more frequently than in outskirts. New sandpits are often contaminated by thermotolerant coliform bacteria than old sandpits. From the point of view of chemical contamination, sandpits in city center are more contaminated by chemicals, however statistical difference is not significant. The discovered values of sand at start and end of season were misrepresented by addition of sand in sandpits in the course of main season. Sandpits in Hradec Kralove had a high level of hygienic safety, which is determined in law No 258/2000 Coll., about protection of public health