Synthetic Turf Fields Kicking up Safety Concerns

"The crumb rubber that's used in many fills are safe," said Shira Miller, a spokeswoman for the Synthetic Turf Council.

In this photo taken Friday, May 17, 2009, a high school lacrosse player goes flying onto a field...

In this photo taken Friday, May 17, 2009, a high school lacrosse player goes flying onto a field made of synthetic turf during practice at a playfield in north Seattle. The tiny bits of ground up tires that are used as filler between the blades of artificial grass have some health experts, activists and parents worried that children may be exposed to chemicals by inhaling or swallowing the rubber granules. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

(AP)

But Dr. Philip Landrigan, professor and chairman of community and preventive medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, still wants a moratorium until more thorough studies are done.

Some studies in the U.S. and Europe have assessed potential exposure and health risks for people using turf and concluded that health effects are unlikely.

But Landrigan said he's aware of no studies that have evaluated how the chemicals affect actual children who play on turf field containing crumb rubber.

"All those toxins are very available to kids, if kids are playing and running," he said. "All this chemical soup is going to get on their skins and their fingers."

Recycled tires contain metals such as zinc, plus toxic chemicals such as benzene and butadiene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which also are contained in exhaust, smoke and soot.

Crumb rubber also is used for solid playground and track surfaces, but because it's in the form of a mat, there's less concern the rubber can get into kids, Landrigan said.

Heat also is a concern, raising the possibility of heat stress or heat stroke; temperatures on artificial turf fields have been recorded at 130 to 140 degrees, Landrigan said.

Last year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission investigated lead in artificial turf after New Jersey health officials found high lead content in some fields. The CPSC said none of the fields tested at levels that would be harmful to children, but it called for voluntary standards to eliminate lead in future products.

Seattle is adding six new synthetic turf fields in the next year after reviewing current research on health or environmental risks.

The fields cost more to install than grass — about $800,000 each — but save in maintenance costs and reduced herbicide and fertilizer use, said Dewey Potter, a Seattle parks spokeswoman.