If you noticed that the play area at your local fast-food restaurant was unacceptably filthy, what would you do? Sure, you might keep your children off the equipment and stop visiting that restaurant, and tell your friends and neighbors to do the same. But when one Arizona mom repeatedly complained about the conditions at her local McDonald’s and still nothing changed, she went further. She paid for testing by an independent lab to see exactly what was crawling around in that playground. She also climbed through the playland tubes herself, filming the graffiti, discarded food, and filth her children had been romping around in.

She also visited other restaurants, finding–surprise!–similar conditions.

The local franchisee is, of course, taking the accusations very seriously, telling the Arizona Republic in a statement:

As the owner of this restaurant, and a father of three kids, I’m disappointed we let this customer and others down. I sincerely apologize. We take these matters very seriously. All concerns have been addressed. We’ve also put the necessary steps in place to ensure these violations do not happen again.

McSwarth: Kids Play Safe [YouTube]
Chandler mom disgusted by fast-food play areas starts crusade [Arizona Republic]

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