Vertical stratification and seasonality of fecal indicator bacteria in New York City playground sandboxes
Sandboxes in public play spaces afford a crucial opportunity for urban children to engage in naturalistic play that fosters development of cognitive, social, and motor skills. As open pits, sandboxes in New York City public playgrounds are potentially exposed to fecal inputs from various sources, in...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651324002276 |
| _version_ | 1797261839645540352 |
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| author | Alessandra C. Leri G. Eliana Fassihi Matthew J. Lundquist Marjan Khan Mariette L. Arguin |
| author_facet | Alessandra C. Leri G. Eliana Fassihi Matthew J. Lundquist Marjan Khan Mariette L. Arguin |
| author_sort | Alessandra C. Leri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sandboxes in public play spaces afford a crucial opportunity for urban children to engage in naturalistic play that fosters development of cognitive, social, and motor skills. As open pits, sandboxes in New York City public playgrounds are potentially exposed to fecal inputs from various sources, including wild and domestic animals. A longitudinal study of thirteen sandboxes located in public playgrounds on the east side of Manhattan reveals ubiquity of the fecal indicator bacteria enterococci and Escherichia coli through all seasons. The highest concentrations of bacteria occur in surface sand (n = 42; mean enterococci 230 MPN/g and E. coli 182 MPN/g dry weight), with significantly lower levels at depths below the surface (n = 35; mean enterococci 21 MPN/g and E. coli 12 MPN/g dry weight), a stratification consistent with fecal loading at the surface. Generalized linear mixed models indicate that sand depth (surface vs. underlayers) is the most influential variable affecting bacterial levels (P <0.001 for both enterococci and E. coli), followed by sampling season (P <0.001 for both). Bacterial concentrations do not vary significantly as a function of playground location or ZIP code within the study area. Children’s exposure while playing in sandboxes likely reaches 105 enterococci and 104 E. coli in a typical play period. Microbial source tracking to identify fecal hosts reveals dog, bird, and human biomarkers in low concentrations. Open sandbox microcosms installed at ground level in the urban environment of Manhattan are fouled by enterococci and E. coli within two weeks, while adjacent closed microcosms exhibit no fecal contamination over a 33-day sampling period. Collectively, our results indicate that increasing the frequency of sand refills and covering sandboxes during times of disuse would be straightforward management strategies to mitigate fecal contamination in playground sandboxes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T20:06:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-685fa25235c14ea08809b4756f7881d2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0147-6513 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T23:47:36Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| spelling | doaj.art-685fa25235c14ea08809b4756f7881d22024-03-15T04:42:52ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132024-03-01273116152Vertical stratification and seasonality of fecal indicator bacteria in New York City playground sandboxesAlessandra C. Leri0G. Eliana Fassihi1Matthew J. Lundquist2Marjan Khan3Mariette L. Arguin4Department of Natural Sciences, Marymount Manhattan College, 221 E 71st St., New York, NY 10021, United States; Corresponding author.Department of Natural Sciences, Marymount Manhattan College, 221 E 71st St., New York, NY 10021, United StatesDepartment of Natural Sciences, Marymount Manhattan College, 221 E 71st St., New York, NY 10021, United StatesDepartment of Natural Sciences, Marymount Manhattan College, 221 E 71st St., New York, NY 10021, United StatesP.S. 77 Lower Lab School, 1700 3rd Ave., New York, NY 10128, United StatesSandboxes in public play spaces afford a crucial opportunity for urban children to engage in naturalistic play that fosters development of cognitive, social, and motor skills. As open pits, sandboxes in New York City public playgrounds are potentially exposed to fecal inputs from various sources, including wild and domestic animals. A longitudinal study of thirteen sandboxes located in public playgrounds on the east side of Manhattan reveals ubiquity of the fecal indicator bacteria enterococci and Escherichia coli through all seasons. The highest concentrations of bacteria occur in surface sand (n = 42; mean enterococci 230 MPN/g and E. coli 182 MPN/g dry weight), with significantly lower levels at depths below the surface (n = 35; mean enterococci 21 MPN/g and E. coli 12 MPN/g dry weight), a stratification consistent with fecal loading at the surface. Generalized linear mixed models indicate that sand depth (surface vs. underlayers) is the most influential variable affecting bacterial levels (P <0.001 for both enterococci and E. coli), followed by sampling season (P <0.001 for both). Bacterial concentrations do not vary significantly as a function of playground location or ZIP code within the study area. Children’s exposure while playing in sandboxes likely reaches 105 enterococci and 104 E. coli in a typical play period. Microbial source tracking to identify fecal hosts reveals dog, bird, and human biomarkers in low concentrations. Open sandbox microcosms installed at ground level in the urban environment of Manhattan are fouled by enterococci and E. coli within two weeks, while adjacent closed microcosms exhibit no fecal contamination over a 33-day sampling period. Collectively, our results indicate that increasing the frequency of sand refills and covering sandboxes during times of disuse would be straightforward management strategies to mitigate fecal contamination in playground sandboxes.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651324002276Fecal indicator bacteriaUrban environmental healthChildren’s environmental healthSandboxSandMicrocosm |
| spellingShingle | Alessandra C. Leri G. Eliana Fassihi Matthew J. Lundquist Marjan Khan Mariette L. Arguin Vertical stratification and seasonality of fecal indicator bacteria in New York City playground sandboxes Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Fecal indicator bacteria Urban environmental health Children’s environmental health Sandbox Sand Microcosm |
| title | Vertical stratification and seasonality of fecal indicator bacteria in New York City playground sandboxes |
| title_full | Vertical stratification and seasonality of fecal indicator bacteria in New York City playground sandboxes |
| title_fullStr | Vertical stratification and seasonality of fecal indicator bacteria in New York City playground sandboxes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vertical stratification and seasonality of fecal indicator bacteria in New York City playground sandboxes |
| title_short | Vertical stratification and seasonality of fecal indicator bacteria in New York City playground sandboxes |
| title_sort | vertical stratification and seasonality of fecal indicator bacteria in new york city playground sandboxes |
| topic | Fecal indicator bacteria Urban environmental health Children’s environmental health Sandbox Sand Microcosm |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651324002276 |
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