As
I do on an almost daily basis I scan the news for interesting stories that
relate in some way to sport safety. A
story that caught my attention as we were all preparing for the holidays was
research published by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) discussing the safety of the
recycled rubber used as part of the infill on
many athletic fields, putting greens, parks and other outdoor
spaces. These artificial fields are often
referred to as “Field Turf”. Field Turf ®
is actually the name of a leading company that designs and constructs many of
the artificial fields that use plastic grass (fiber), sand and recycled rubber tires to
construct many of the natural grass-like fields utilized on a daily basis. According to information on its website it
has installed over 7,000 fields (15,000 total projects) and considers itself, “the safest, longest lasting, and highest
performing artificial turf system available.”
These artificial turf systems
came to be after the concerns that initial attempts at artificial surfaces
(think 1966 Astrodome) were actually increasing the number of injuries
(especially knee) to the athletes that played on them. While it appears that these new systems have
decreased orthopedic injuries to some degree there are still questions regarding
the safety of the small rubber pellets (aka crumb rubber) used in the system generated from
recycled tires. The EPA addresses previous study results these rubber pellets.
UNDERSTANDING
FIELD TURF CONSTRUCTION:
According
to FieldTurf® a solid system includes fiber, infill and backing. A video
on their website can help you understand how these components work together to
create a more realistic artificial surface.
The fiber is the component of the field that looks like grass, but is
intended to be more durable and reduce skin friction common with artificial
surfaces. The backing is what allows the
fibers to be connected in rows and helps the surface maintain its integrity. The infill, the area of focus of the EPA
study, is most often a combination of sand and rubber pellets that is worked
into the spaces between the fibers. The
ratio of sand to rubber is adjusted depending on the desired field performance
characteristics.
FieldTurf®
states that their patented infill system is what makes the difference in safety
(injury reduction), durability,
drainage
and performance as compared to other artificial field systems. It is not the within the scope of this post
to discuss the drainage, durability and orthopedic safety of these
systems. According to FieldTurf® there
are two parts to the infill: silica
sand and cryogenic rubber. These two
components are layered in specific way (see website) to create appropriate
performance characteristics. The top
most layer of field turf is large cryogenic rubber pellets. These rubber pellets are created from recycled tires that are cryogenically frozen and turned into granules. They account for 30% of the total weight of
the infill, approximately 216,000 pounds of rubber for a typical field.
CURRENT
HAPPENINGS:
The
EPA was recently in the news around the topic of crumb rubber (the rubber used
as part of infill on most synthetic fields) because it was asked to retract
comments it made regarding the safety of crumb rubber based on 2009
research study. Citing results from
the 2009 study, the EPA assured consumers that crumb rubber was safe despite
finding trace levels of lead and other chemical compounds in the crumb
rubber. As of December 2013 the EPA has
now updated its website and crumb rubber fact
sheet to more accurately reflect that it is unsure of the effects of the
chemicals in crumb rubber on children. The
EPA has also made clear that more research is needed. Review of the updated information includes an
extensive list of compounds in crumb rubber that includes acetone, arsenic,
benzene, nickel, latex, and lead among others.
I encourage you all to read these updated statements to better
understand what crumb rubber is. As a
precaution the EPA states, “Both the
Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention recommend that young children wash their hands frequently playing
outside and before they eat. The EPA
also recommends these practices.”
There
are many other resources out there that come down on both sides of the debate
regarding crumb rubber. FieldTurf® has
compiled this
report that says it includes independent research to support the safety of
crumb rubber. The New York State
Department of Health has a fact
sheet (as do many other states).
Other sources for you to review in order to get a fuller picture of the
debate include:
In
the end, as with any safety issue that affects our children each parent must
make a choice they are comfortable with.
Field installation companies continue to tout the safety of these fields
and the studies on crumb rubber continue in efforts to have more conclusive
results in one direction or another.
Finally, there are towns that have taken matters into their own hands
and fought to have fields and playground components that include crumb rubber
removed. It’s not my place to tell you
where to come down on this issue, but as always to help you educate yourself on the
issue and let you decide.
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