Sandcastle Contest Ends in Controversy

Use of hazardous materials and lack of third-party certification doomed sixth-grader Brittany Stanford’s chances at the Daytona Daze Sandcastle Contest.

April 1, 2014

Red-listed materials were removed from the mermaid sandcastle (top) and destroyed by the ILFI hazmat crew (bottom).

Photo (top): Robin Zebrowski. License: CC BY 2.0. Photo (bottom): Lard Anemone

In a controversial decision that could have far-reaching implications among sand sculpture (better known as “sandcastle”) competitors and aficionados worldwide, judges at the Daytona Daze “Fun in the Sun” Sandcastle Contest disqualified 12-year old Brittany Stanford for a variety of “material and environmental” infractions.

Both judges—Amanda Sturgeon, vice president of the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), and Tom Lent, policy director for the Healthy Building Network (HBN)—had concerns about the materials used to create Stanford’s dolphin/manatee-themed Mermaid Castle. Though Sturgeon said Mermaid Castle was a “powerful symbol of life and earth, transcending traditional building materials and forms,” Lent could not get past the plastic flower necklace and hat on the manatee and the dolphin, respectively. “The use of vinyl is unacceptable,” exclaimed Lent, who for decades has been advocating against the use of PVC in buildings. “Plus, the orange and yellow sunhat was tacky and made the dolphin look fat.”

Whimsical, or deadly?

Sturgeon called the colorful necklace and hat “refreshingly whimsical” but agreed that the materials were problematic. PVC is on the Living Building Challenge red list of banned materials, and the Chinese-made accessories clearly had to be transported more than 500 miles to Daytona—grounds enough for disqualification. But vinyl was not the only material that posed problems for the judges. Lent, in particular, was troubled by Stanford’s use of driftwood to make the drawbridge, gate, and flagpole; by her egregious use of quartz crystals; and by the chemical intermediary chlorine, which was found throughout the main structure and surrounding moat.

Lent referenced HBN’s Pharos materials and product database, pointing out that quartz is a carcinogen and potential persistent, bioaccumulative toxic chemical (PBT) and that the seawater used as binder contains high levels of NaCl, the chlorine component of which is an acute aquatic toxicant as well as potential PBT. This chlorine is extremely reactive, Lent explained, and the charred tips of driftwood used as accents on the turrets “are primary pathways for formation of dioxin, one of the most powerful carcinogens on the planet.”

“Long history” of polluting

Asked to respond to the judge’s criticisms, Stanford stopped mid-text and seemed agitated. “It’s just a stupid sandcastle,” she complained. “I told mom we should have gone to South Beach.” But Lent was not moved, stating, “Brittany has a long history of careless disregard for health and the environment, from her early habit of eating adhesives to her most recent volcano science project that introduced massive amounts of acetic acid and CO₂ into her classroom.”

Had Stanford come forth and fully disclosed the “material constituents” in her project through a Health Product Declaration, a Declare label, or through a third-party certification, the judges may have given her some leeway, Lent suggested, but disqualifying Stanford—and most of the other Fun in the Sun contestants—“sends a clear message to future sand sculptors” and pushes the envelope “toward cleaner, more sustainable structures in all their forms.”