Feds to Investigate Safety of Crumb Rubber Turf Fields

The Ridgewood Board of Education is proposing more artificial turf for Stevens  Field,a district owned field,  despite mounting evidence that it  presents significant  health and safety concerns for those using the fields and to the environment. A recent article in the NJEA Review Magazine ,” Use it? Ban it? quotes  the following statements from Dr. Philip Landrigan, a  Public Health and Pediatrics Professor at Mount Sinai :“ The companies that are marketing the fields don’t talk about the heat hazards, they don’t talk about the chemical hazards,  they don’t talk about the costs that are going to be associated with dismantling the fields when they reach the end of their natural life span, when they must be treated as hazardous waste ….. a better solution is to build fields that are properly drained and are planted with tough species of grass that do not require pesticides.”

The Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute 2019 Report concludes : “ From an environmental and health standpoint, organically managed natural grass is a safer choice for sports fields… also offers lower costs over time.” With regards to playgrounds, the Ecology Center,  a national environmental organization, recommends virgin engineered wood fiber for the play scape.

An important fact that seems to go unrecognized by the school district is that are fields exist in an active flood plain.  Professional Sports Field Services, LLC states the following: “Flood water can destroy the performance of a turf athletic field in a single event. This will not occur every time, but the potential is always there…. the  best covering for a field located in a flood plain would be using natural grass.” A 2019 study done by Non Toxic Communities asserts that artificial turf emits greenhouse gases. In addition the grass like blades that  are made of plastic release an abundance of methane and ethylene. Methane is 20 times more potent than CO2, a known greenhouse gas. Solar radiation activates the gas releasing process which continues the entire life time of the product and accelerates as the plastic wears and becomes fragmented. Given these facts, the contents of artificial turf significantly impacts  the emission of greenhouse gases, a prime contributor of climate change.  It has also been shown that artificial turf negatively effects biological organisms and zinc which is another component of artificial turf  has been found at levels above the EPA Fresh Water Standards. Jeff Gearhart of the Ecology Center stated that the nonprofit research group based in Michigan found significant amounts of fluorine in the plastic blades. A recent EPA study reported that the recycled crumb rubber used in artificial turf which can be seen on players clothes and on the fields contains compounds including cadmium, benzene, nickel, chromium and arsenic which are known carcinogens.

To sum up, we know that artificial turf is made of toxic chemicals which pose health and safety risks for those using the playing fields.  Ridgewood’s fields exist in an active flood plain which allows for crumb rubber and other chemical compounds  to enter into the abutting streams and rivers adversely affecting the environment. We know that it is costly requiring much maintenance and that the upper layer (carpet) is not biodegradable and is considered hazardous material. The NJ School Board Association states that health and wellness directly impact  student achievement and well being. Providing safe, healthy and eco friendly playing fields should be a primary goal of the district.