Kate Sheppard, The Huffington Post, December 23, 2013
EXCERPTS FROM THE ARTICLE:
The Environmental Protection Agency has quietly updated its website in response to a complaint that its public information on artificial turf made from old tires understated potential concerns about safety.
In a November 2009 study and an accompanying press release and webpage, the EPA stated there was only a “low level of concern” about potential health risks posed by toxic chemicals in tire crumb. But earlier this year, the watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility accused the agency of downplaying potential health concerns and asked it to rescind the findings. The EPA study involved only a few sites, PEER said in its complaint, making it “inaccurate, incomplete, and unreliable.”
While the agency did not retract the 2009 study, the website now emphasizes its “very limited nature,” and states that it “is not possible to extend the results beyond the four study sites or to reach any more comprehensive conclusions without the consideration of additional data.” The newer website also emphasizes the need for “future studies,” and lists a number of hazardous chemicals that could be present in tire crumb — including arsenic, benzene, mercury and lead.