Wilkin wants to see more research into the impact of the game on the body
St Helens and England star Jon Wilkin is concerned that rugby league is pushing the human body to its limit.
His comments come after Castleford ace Joe Westerman suffered a head injury that forced him to leave the field on a stretcher and spend time in hospital.
"Players have become heavier, stronger and faster," said Wilkin in an interview for the BBC Sport website.
"I am not sure that limbs, joints and tendons do get any stronger. It is something that should be studied."
Westerman fell heavily after being tackled and experienced spasms during Sunday's game against St Helens at The Jungle.
We are playing a game, it is not something I am willing to put my life on the line for
Jon Wilkin
The match, which Saints won 68-22, was held up for 12 minutes while he received treatment.
He eventually left the field on a stretcher and was taken to Pinderfields Hospital.
A brain scan revealed no serious injury and the 19-year-old, one of the rising stars in the British game, was allowed to return home.
"The main thing is that Joe is alright," added Wilkin.
"When he was on the floor I was thinking, 'is this right that the game is injuring these young players and potentially putting lives at risk?'
"I love rugby and playing the game but it is not that important.
"When something like that happens it puts everything into perspective - we are playing a game here, it is not something I am willing to put my life on the line for."
The Rugby Football League says it takes a keen interest in players' safety and held its inaugural Sports Medicine, Sports Science and Performance Conference in March.
"The RFL has a desire for an increase in the collective understanding of and expertise in the areas of sports science and sports medicine within rugby league," said a spokesman.
"We are currently recruiting for a Head of Human Performance, who, through the application of sports science, strength and conditioning, and medicine, will provide strategic and technical leadership for all human performance and preparation issues within rugby league."
Wilkin is concerned that players are approaching a point where their physical capacity becomes dangerous.
"In some ways we will reach a limit where the human body starts to say 'look there is too much force going through knees, elbows and shoulders'," added the 25-year-old.
"We need to put some figures on what is the ceiling limit for the human body in terms of impact and recovery time."
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