By Michael Hainsey
Hundreds of studies have been completed and thousands of pages compiled which detail the exhaustive research readily available on the components of artificial turf. The following is a sampling of just some of the questions and conclusions reached by the independent experts who have completed the studies.
Q: Is the rubber used in artificial turf fields dangerous?
A: No. Recycled tire rubber has been used for almost 20 years in a variety of products used by consumers every day. Crumb rubber has been used in running tracks, fields, parks, and playgrounds for more than 15 years.
Q: What does the testing say?
A: Hundreds of complex tests have been performed by world-class facilities around the globe. Health and safety, environment, toxicology, and other leading environmental study groups, including universities, government departments, hospitals, health ministries, and independent laboratories have concluded there is no danger to human health or the environment.
Q: Have there been any reported illnesses?
A: There has never been a single case of anyone ever becoming injured or sick as a result of ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact with artificial turf materials.
Q: What about leaching of chemicals or heavy metals into groundwater?
A: Testing at toxic sites has determined that crumb rubber absorbs these toxins rather than release them. Toxic waste, including sludge, oils, and other volatile organic compounds were placed in two containers — either on a layer of tire rubber chips or on a layer of stone. These materials were tested over several years as the runoff (both liquid and gas) was gathered and measured. These tests showed a lower release of toxins from the samples on rubber chips.
Q: Is it beneficial to use recycled rubber?
A: Yes, it is. FieldTurf can build fields that are durable and playable regardless of the weather. FieldTurf also does not have to waste a million gallons of clean drinking water to water a natural grass field. Also, FieldTurf reduces the 8 billion pounds of herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides used each year to keep natural grass in good shape.
Q: What about lead?
A: There is no scientific evidence of a health risk for children or adults from synthetic turf components. High levels of lead were found in the nylon turf fibers — old style, carpet-like fibers that are not even remotely similar to FieldTurf’s fibers. The small amount of lead chromate that is in newer generation polyethylene fibers is not bio-available and does not escape from the fibers, creating a perfectly safe environment for all. The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) found lead in old-style, carpet-like turf systems containing nylon fibers. FieldTurf uses only polyethylene fibers. NJDHSS tested 12 artificial turf fields and found lead levels in FieldTurf fields be acceptable, between 1 ppm and 1.6 ppm. By comparison, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall level for toys with lead paint is 600 ppm. U.S. and European Union packaging standards limit lead to an upper limit of 100 ppm in packaging. Proposed legislation in Canada would limit lead to 90 ppm in children’s toys that can be put in the mouth.
Q: What do you do when an artificial turf field is old and has to be replaced?
A: Several patent applications are in the works and other patents are pending for the new processes that will enable FieldTurf to recycle 100 percent of the materials in a FieldTurf field. A FieldTurf field consists of a backing material with fibers tufted into it and a coating which holds these fibers in place. Once installed onsite, this “carpet system” is then infilled with layers of cryogenic rubber granules and silica sand. At the end of its life, this carpet system is lifted up and the entire infill is removed from the carpet. The backing, fiber, and coating of the carpet system will undergo a transformation on-site, creating a new raw material that is fully recyclable and will have a number of new manufacturing uses. The infill will be cleaned, repackaged, and reused.
Visit www.fieldturf.com/enviro for more information
