SYNTHETIC TURF CONTAINS KNOWN CARCINOGENS

Science shows artificial turf problems of heat, injuries, toxic exposures to humans and animals and more. Accurate information assists decision makers, parents and citizens determine what is acceptable, and at what cost, in the pursuit of a lovely and durable playing surface. Below is just some of what we know about the human health risks associated with synthetic turf fields.

SHREDDED WASTE TIRE = LEAD, ZINC, ETC

The spongy surface between the grass blades can be sand, cork/coconut, or plastic pellets but is typically made by pulverizing waste vehicle tires.

Synthetic turf contains unsafe levels of lead, mercury, cadmium and other known carcinogens. And despite claims to the contrary, synthetic turf is not environmentally friendly.

TOXIC CHEMICALS

Hazardous organic chemicals in rubber recycled tire playgrounds and pavers Review Article ; Chemosphere, 22 August 2012 ; Maria Llompart, Lucia Sanchez-Prado, J. Pablo Lamas, Carmen Garcia-Jares, Enrique Roca, Thierry Dagnac

Abstract: In this study, the presence of hazardous organic chemicals in surfaces containing recycled rubber tires is investigated... The analysis confirmed the presence of a large number of hazardous substances including PAHs, phthalates, antioxidants (e.g. BHT, phenols), benzothiazole and derivatives, among other chemicals. The study evidences the high content of toxic chemicals in these recycled materials. The concentration of PAHs in the commercial pavers was extremely high, reaching values up to 1%. In addition, SPME studies of the vapor phase above the samples confirm the volatilization of many of those organic compounds. Uses of recycled rubber tires, especially those targeting play areas and other facilities for children, should be a matter of regulatory concern.

PLASTICIZERS AND FLAME RETARDANTS

To obtain the look and feel of grass, the plastic grass blades must be softened with plasticizers. Additionally, they must be stabilized to prevent photo-degradation from the sun and made non-flammable by the addition of flame retardants. The grass blades still become brittle with time and exposure and blade fragments become part of the mix within the waste tire infill dust.

UNKNOWN CHEMICALS

*Field installation at Montgomery Blair High School, Maryland*

A single synthetic turf field using shredded waste tire infill on average can be expected to contain roughly 120 tons of pulverized tires. Tire manufacture is proprietary. Hence the complete contents are unknown. This data gap underscores the need to test waste tire infill and regulate synthetic turf surfaces as a children’s product.

Dr. Joel Forman, Professor of Pediatric Medicine, Mt Sinai School of Medicine, puts it this way, “We’ve done a very poor job of testing these chemicals [found in synthetic turf carpets] to ascertain whether or not they are toxic. … And then when it comes to the more specific question 'What do we know about the impact of these chemicals might have on early childhood development?' - the answer is 'we have no information at all on about 80% of the chemicals.' Which is to say that every day, our children – and that includes fetuses, infants, young children – are exposed to a whole suite of chemicals of simply unknown toxicity which I consider to be an inherently risky business.”

NANO PARTICLES FROM WORN DOWN SHREDDED WASTE TIRES

While the EPA is tightening standards for soot, it is allowing a pollution micro-climate to be created on these fields under the feet of children, in the space in which they breath, and as runoff into streams that impact water quality of drinking water and health of aquatic life.
Shredded waste tires contain dozens of complex hydrocarbons, heavy metals, carbon black and secret ingredients that are combined to create vulcanized rubber. The waste tire infill, once pulverized to bird-shot-sized granules, continues to break down through the friction of play and exposure to the unrelenting ultra violet light from the sun. As the waste tire infill is worn down to dust, every component and molecule within it can become airborne to interact with the natural and human environment. Think human inhalation and water transport.

Inhalation Risks

Synthetic turf is a rug made from plastic, plastic is made from hydrocarbons, and hydrocarbons are volatile compounds which evaporate quickly in the presence of sunlight and heat. Even though they exist in solid form, they still off-gas to the atmosphere – think of the new car smell on a hot day. From synturf.org: "The thermodynamics of the turf in winter and summer conditions accelerates the breakdown of the synthetic grass fibers and rubber crumb into dust particles, which easily can be inhaled or ingested by children. This is likely to produce respiratory and dermatological health risks in children."

From the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center (Feb. 2016): “There is a potential for toxins to be inhaled, absorbed through the skin and even swallowed by children who play on recycled rubber surfaces.”

“The major chemical components of recycled rubber are styrene and butadiene, the principal ingredients of the synthetic rubber used for tires in the United States. Styrene is neurotoxic and reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen. Butadiene is a proven human carcinogen that has been shown to cause leukemia and lymphoma. Shredded and crumb rubber also contain lead, cadmium, and other metals known to damage the developing nervous system. Children may also inhale potentially harmful chemicals that have been detected in the air above rubber turf such as benzathiazole and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), both of which are linked to cancer.”

Workers applying WASTE TIRE INFILL wear protective masks

Styrene Butadiene protective masks (still pics) (13).jpg

FieldTurf workers breathing masks - Impact inaugurates new synthetic training field next to Stade Saputo 2.jpg

Styrene Butadiene protective masks (still pics) (15).jpg

2014-08-08 Minnie & Lovie Ward SBR infill (19) good good.jpg

Reproductive Risks

Synthetic turf contains plasticizers, fire retardants and stabilizers. Shredded waste tire contains at least 60 complicated compounds. Small concentrations of these compounds mimic the hormones that regulate bodily functions and the changes they produce may not show up for decades. Fetuses are highly susceptible to the small exposures that their pregnant mothers may encounter, perhaps years earlier.

SYNTHETIC FIELDS REQUIRE DECONTAMINATION

TO PROTECT FROM MRSA

In addition, synthetic turf fields require decontamination to remove blood, sweat, mucous, animal droppings and food from plastic and shredded waste tire. These contaminants lead to higher risk of MRSA. (Check out these videos on dog urine removal and urine odor removal.)

Synthetic Field Turf - Are the benefits worth the environmental and health risks?

Powerpoint by Joel Forman, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Community and Preventative Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

DOES SYNTHETIC TURF CAUSE CANCER?

Featured

YALE CONDUCTING STUDY ON HUMAN EXPOSURE TO CHEMICALS IN SYNTHETIC TURF

Yale School of Medicine, Caroline Johnson Lab, 2017

"Studies have shown that rubber crumb taken from synthetic turf fields contain hazardous materials such as volatile organic chemicals, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and semi volatile organic chemicals (SVOCs). Over the past several years, worldwide public health concerns have been raised about the potential exposure of athletes to these compounds through inhalation, ingestion, or dermal contact with tire crumb rubber."

"With Dr. Vasilis Vasiliou and Dr. Anne Marie Jukic, we will be using mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and questionnaire data to assess human exposure and short-term health effects, leading the way for functional studies and interventions."

"SOCCER PLAYERS' CANCERS IGNITE DEBATE OVER TURF SAFETY"

CNN, January 27, 2017

" 'Goalkeepers get it in their sides, hips, elbows, abrasions from sliding on the stuff. So if they have an open sore, not only the black dots but the dust particles that you can't even see when the tire crumb breaks down so small get in there. I'm sure you eat it and inhale it,' she said. 'Just in a 10-minute warmup, our keepers will hit the ground anywhere from 50 to 100 times.' "

"Since the investigation, Griffin said many more people have reached out to add names to her list."

PLAYING FIELDS AND CANCER: AN EMERGING MASS TORT?

Bloomberg BNA, October 28, 2016

" 'At this point, we see indicia, which we always see before there’s adequate proof of causation,' plaintiff's attorney Ted Tredennick with Daniels & Tredennick in Houston told Bloomberg BNA.

'We see clusters of people getting the same type of disease with the only common link being exposure to these fields,' he said. 'This comes before the science establishes causal links.' "

"WORRIES MOUNT OVER POTENTIAL LINK BETWEEN ARTIFICIAL TURF AND CANCER"

The Huffington Post, April 14, 2016

"As athletes with cancer continue to come forward, the government is investigating whether synthetic fields are truly safe."

"Existing studies by federal, state and local government agencies 'were not designed, nor were they sufficient in size or scope, to draw conclusions about the safety of all fields across the nation,' EPA spokeswoman Laura Allen told The Huffington Post. 'They cannot fully answer questions about what if any potential risks might be posed from exposure.' "

HUMAN HEALTH EXPERIMENT ON CHILDREN TO DETERMINE CANCER CONNECTION TO SYNTHETIC TURF FIELD USE

EHHI, 2015

A natural experiment is being conducted in which thousands of children are being exposed on playing fields to rubber 1) known to contain carcinogens and 2) documented to produce cancer in workers in the tire manufacturing plants.

NATIONAL PRESS CLUB LUNCHEON WITH ABBY WAMBACH

October 28, 2015

"And there are some serious health concerns. It’s not just about injury, either. What's in those little rubber pellets? I don't know. And I don’t want my kids to be the ones that suffer because they're the guinea pigs of some of these big turf companies wanting to make a ton of money. I think it’s not okay."

MOM OF GOALIE WHO DIED OF CANCER WANTS ANSWERS ON ARTIFICIAL TURF

NBC News, October 1, 2015

" 'We certainly didn't think that it was harmful because we never questioned what was in it, what the make of it was,' Leahy says. 'It was just a new surface that had a bit of cushioning.' "

"YALE STUDY REVEALS CARCINOGENS AND SKIN IRRITANTS IN SYNTHETIC TURF"

WTHN, September 5, 2015

"According to the report, the study revealed nearly 100 chemicals were found in the 14 samples they analyzed. The study also revealed 11 carcinogens in the turf samples, as well as 20 known skin irritants.

'I knew there were heavy metals in them but I never expected 96 chemicals,' said Nancy Alderman, President of Environment and Human Health, Inc."

NEWS: Toxicity & CheMICALS

Featured

"US AGENCY RELEASES 2016 NANO STRATEGIC PLAN"

Chemical Watch, November 10, 2016

US Agency (NNCO - National Nanotechnology Coordination Office) updates Nanotechnology Strategy plan. Industry press is tracking nanotechnology law changes.

"IS ARTIFICIAL TURF TOXIC?"

Good Sports, March 6, 2017

"From concerns about concussions to cancer, parents have become alarmed by media reports of increased injuries and illnesses."

"And there is the further question of who is responsible for assuring the safety of these fields—the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control, the Consumer Product Safety Commission?"

"Modern tires are a mixture of natural and synthetic rubber, carbon black–a material made from petroleum–and somewhere between four and 10 gallons of petroleum products. They also contain metals, including cadmium, lead (which is neurotoxic), and zinc. Some of the chemicals in tires, such as dibenzopyrenes, are known carcinogens."

"CHURCH SUES AFTER PLAYGROUND FOUND CONTAMINATED WITH LEAD, MERCURY, PCBS"

NJ.com, February 15, 2017

"Two years after the church playground rubber chips were installed, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection alerted church officials that hazardous substances had been found on the property and remediation was mandated under state law."

"PCBs, lead and mercury were detected at above levels deemed acceptable in New Jersey, according to the firm, Professional Environmental Associates of Rockaway."

TOXIC TURF - WRONG FOR SAG HARBOR, WRONG FOR KIDS

Article compilation by Rebekah Thomson

"TOXIC TURF"

The Huffington Post, November 14, 2016

"Chemical toxins identified included the metals arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead and zinc, the chemicals acetone, ethylbenzene, tetrachloroethylene, toluene and xylene, and phthalates."

"LAURA DERN, JENNIFER BEALS, SPEAK OUT AGAINST 'CRUMB RUBBER' SYNTHETIC FIELDS"

Mercury News, May 27, 2015

“ '[Waste tire infill is] deemed toxic waste before it’s recycled,' said Dern, who is a spokeswoman for California nonprofit Healthy Child Healthy World. 'So if it’s considered toxic waste, why are we using it as our children’s playgrounds?'

'What's good for a tire is not good for a child,' said Jennifer Beals. 'We need to protect our children's health, and their health comes before anybody's pocketbook.' "

"WHY DO SOME IGNORE SYNTHETIC TURF TOXICITY FACTS?"

EHHI

"Why is it, when each synthetic turf field contains 40,000 ground-up used rubber tires that contain many toxic compounds, do schools and towns continue to think it is a good idea to install them?"

"Those who vote to install the synthetic turf fields claim- there might be toxins in the fields but they do not affect the players - the players do not eat the tire crumbs. True, they do not eat the tire crumbs but --- as the fields are played on the tire crumbs break down into dust and the dust is then inhaled by the players. The dust contains the toxic chemicals which are delivered from the lungs into the entire body."

"ARTIFICIAL TURF: CHEMICAL ANALYSIS" (LIST OF CHEMICALS)

EHHI

"Findings of the chemical analysis conducted by Yale University on the crumb rubber tire infill used in synthetic turf and the rubber tire mulch used as surfacing material in toddler playgrounds."

YALE SCIENTIST GABOURY BENOIT FINDS CARCINOGENS AND SKIN IRRITANTS IN SYNTHETIC PLAYING SURFACES

Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science, July 7, 2015

"One of the study’s findings is that of the 96 chemicals detected, almost half of them had no toxicity screenings to determine their health effects. The other chemicals underwent incomplete toxicity assessments. And of those, 20 percent are considered probable carcinogens. Additionally, 40 percent are found to be irritants causing problems for either breathing, the skin or the eyes."

"NEW STUDY SHOWS KIDS EXPOSED TO TOXIC CHEMICALS ON ARTIFICIAL TURF"

WKYC, June 30, 2015

"The study found 96 chemicals in 14 samples. Of the 96 chemicals detected, 47 chemicals (49 percent) had no toxicity assessments done on them for their health effects. Of the 96 chemicals detected, 49 chemicals (51 percent) have had some toxicity testing done, but even many of those had incomplete toxicity testing and therefore all health effects are not fully known. Of the 49 chemicals tested, 10 or 20 percent are probable carcinogens."

"WOMEN'S WORLD CUP RASIES QUESTIONS OF SEXISM AND PUBLIC HEALTH"

New Haven Register, June 25, 2015

“The ground-up rubber tires contain many carcinogens, including carbon black nano-particles and nanotubes. There are 40,000 ground-up rubber tires in every field and these rubber crumbs get into the players’ ears, eyes, mouths, hair, exposing them to the carcinogens that are in the rubber tire infill.”

“It is time we stopped experimenting with the health of a whole generation of students who are being forced to play on carcinogenic materials with no government agency, either federal or state, protecting them.”

"NEW EVIDENCE DEMANDS ACTION ON FIELDS USING RUBBER TIRES" (1/2)

New Haven Register, May 11, 2015

"How should the public react to new studies showing that carbon black nanoparticles in rubber tires could be as dangerous as asbestos?

A new study led by the Queen's Medical Research Institute at the University of Edinburg/MRC Center for Inflammation Research in Scotland showed that long, needle-thin carbon nanotubes can lead to lung cancer. Their research reported that these carbon nanotubes could be as harmful as breathing asbestos."