June 27, 2008
TRENTON (AP) — A U.S. senator from New Jersey is urging the federal government to take action on artificial turf sports fields containing lead.
Sen. Bob Menendez sent a letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission Thursday that urged the agency to expand its investigation into possibly hazardous lead levels in artificial turf. The Democrat also asked the agency for recommendations on how parents can protect children who play on artificial grass fields, lawns and playgrounds.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which has investigated lead in children’s toys and household products, did not return messages seeking comment. Thursday’s call for action by Menendez comes a week after the federal Centers for Disease Control issued an advisory recommending that worn, frayed sports fields containing nylon fibers be tested for lead.
A California environmental watchdog group reported this week it had found excessive amounts of lead in several brands of artificial turf. It warned some of the biggest manufacturers and sellers that it would sue unless they recall or reformulate their products.
The report from the Center for Environmental Health followed New Jersey health officials’ finding of unacceptably high lead levels in some synthetic surfaces. New Jersey health officials first discovered elevated lead levels at an athletic field in Newark last fall, then found similarly high levels in two other nylon-based fields.
The Newark field was tested because it was near a scrap metal site, but officials concluded the field was contaminated by the turf, not runoff from the nearby site. A follow-up test showed the lead found on New Jersey’s turf fields could be absorbed by humans. But the state epidemiologist said the lead levels were not high enough to cause poisoning to people who play on the fields. All three New Jersey fields have been ripped up and replaced. Lead can cause brain damage and other illnesses, particularly in children.
The CDC said no cases of elevated blood lead levels in children have been linked to artificial turf. Health officials remain concerned because exposure to lead is cumulative, and children are especially susceptible.
Turf manufacturers insist their products are safe. Rick Doyle, president of the Synthetic Turf Council, an industry trade group, has said the lead in turf is encapsulated in the blades and does not leach out or become airborne.
Davis Lee, who teaches at Georgia Tech and is a consultant to turf manufacturers, said he’s never seen test results that would raise a concern.
Showing posts with label Artificial Turf - with LEAD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Artificial Turf - with LEAD. Show all posts
20080512
The artificial turf industry denied its products are dangerous.
May 1, 2008
Parker Waichman Alonso LLP Last month, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) began reviewing possible risks linked to lead with artificial turf currently installed in schools, parks, and stadiums nationwide.
The artificial turf industry denied its products are dangerous. But, health officials closed down two fields in New Jersey after detecting what they found to be unexpectedly high levels of lead in the synthetic turf, raising concerns that athletes could swallow or inhale fibers or dust from the playing surface.
In recent years, dozens of fields have been installed across Long Island and the New York state environmental agency is initiating a study to assess the environmental impact of ground-up tires used in modern synthetic turf fields.
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officials became involved when state lawmakers raised concerns about potentially toxic and carcinogenic components—arsenic, cadmium, lead, zinc—in the rubber crumbs cushioning the fields and if these chemicals leach into groundwater or vaporize into inhalable gases.
"We don't know what the environmental implications are for the long term," said Assemblyman Steve Englebright (Democrat-Setauket), who sponsored a bill calling for a six-month moratorium on the turf pending a comprehensive study.
Most new turf fields contain scrap tires because they require little maintenance and hold up under both heavy rain and extended play. At least 60 fields have been installed on Long Island since 2001, according to LandTek, an Amityville synthetic turf distributor.
New York City also has a number of crumb rubber fields and there are about 150 statewide, said DEC spokeswoman Maureen Wren. Its study will use laboratory and field tests to assess whether rubber crumbs leach toxins into groundwater or release volatile chemicals into the air; the study is expected to be completed by year end. Health researchers are also reviewing existing literature on crumb rubber fields, said Health Department spokeswoman Claudia Hutton.
Artificial turf manufacturers say the playing surfaces pose no risk to children or athletes, citing European government studies and those funded by turf and sports industry groups. Little independent research has been conducted in the US on the potential health and environmental consequences of crumb rubber.
"We know the chemicals are there," said Dr. Philip Landrigan, chairman of the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan. "Where the debate really settles is whether they're getting from the fields into the kids, and whether they pose an actual hazard."Scrutiny of artificial turf increased earlier last month, with news of high lead levels in older AstroTurf fields in New Jersey and Syracuse, which do not contain crumb rubber.
According to the Synthetic Turf Council, there are approximately 3,500 synthetic playing fields made of various materials—including nylon and polyethylene—nationwide; about 800 are installed annually at schools, colleges, parks, and stadiums.
Use of artificial turf has grown exponentially in recent years and is seen as a way to cut costs and water use.
But, lead chromate pigment is sometimes used to make the grass green and maintain its color in sunlight.
It remains unclear how widely the compound is used.
The New Jersey Health Department found lead in both of the nylon fields it tested which were Astro Turf brand surfaces.
Parker Waichman Alonso LLP Last month, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) began reviewing possible risks linked to lead with artificial turf currently installed in schools, parks, and stadiums nationwide.
The artificial turf industry denied its products are dangerous. But, health officials closed down two fields in New Jersey after detecting what they found to be unexpectedly high levels of lead in the synthetic turf, raising concerns that athletes could swallow or inhale fibers or dust from the playing surface.
In recent years, dozens of fields have been installed across Long Island and the New York state environmental agency is initiating a study to assess the environmental impact of ground-up tires used in modern synthetic turf fields.
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officials became involved when state lawmakers raised concerns about potentially toxic and carcinogenic components—arsenic, cadmium, lead, zinc—in the rubber crumbs cushioning the fields and if these chemicals leach into groundwater or vaporize into inhalable gases.
"We don't know what the environmental implications are for the long term," said Assemblyman Steve Englebright (Democrat-Setauket), who sponsored a bill calling for a six-month moratorium on the turf pending a comprehensive study.
Most new turf fields contain scrap tires because they require little maintenance and hold up under both heavy rain and extended play. At least 60 fields have been installed on Long Island since 2001, according to LandTek, an Amityville synthetic turf distributor.
New York City also has a number of crumb rubber fields and there are about 150 statewide, said DEC spokeswoman Maureen Wren. Its study will use laboratory and field tests to assess whether rubber crumbs leach toxins into groundwater or release volatile chemicals into the air; the study is expected to be completed by year end. Health researchers are also reviewing existing literature on crumb rubber fields, said Health Department spokeswoman Claudia Hutton.
Artificial turf manufacturers say the playing surfaces pose no risk to children or athletes, citing European government studies and those funded by turf and sports industry groups. Little independent research has been conducted in the US on the potential health and environmental consequences of crumb rubber.
"We know the chemicals are there," said Dr. Philip Landrigan, chairman of the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan. "Where the debate really settles is whether they're getting from the fields into the kids, and whether they pose an actual hazard."Scrutiny of artificial turf increased earlier last month, with news of high lead levels in older AstroTurf fields in New Jersey and Syracuse, which do not contain crumb rubber.
According to the Synthetic Turf Council, there are approximately 3,500 synthetic playing fields made of various materials—including nylon and polyethylene—nationwide; about 800 are installed annually at schools, colleges, parks, and stadiums.
Use of artificial turf has grown exponentially in recent years and is seen as a way to cut costs and water use.
But, lead chromate pigment is sometimes used to make the grass green and maintain its color in sunlight.
It remains unclear how widely the compound is used.
The New Jersey Health Department found lead in both of the nylon fields it tested which were Astro Turf brand surfaces.
20080416
Three Artificial Turf Fields Shut Down Due To Lead Levels
April 14, 2008
Hoboken attorney Steven Kleinman said the city shut the playing field at Frank Sinatra Park after tests by state health officials found lead levels far exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency's allowable concentration of the metal.
The fields are in Newark, Ewing and Hoboken. In Newark, workers in hazmat suits rolled up the turf and put it into Dumpsters to be hauled away.
An athletic field in the Ironbound section of Newark was closed last fall and its turf ripped up and replaced after a similar test result. The results of that test prompted state health officials to make a broader assessment.
In Hoboken, soccer players were turned away from Frank Sinatra Park because of concerns about lead in the fibers of its turf.
Twelve more artificial turf fields were tested around the state and two -- the Hoboken field and The College of New Jersey's Lions Stadium field -- were shown to contain excessive lead. Those two and the Ironbound field were all nylon-based turf made by Astro Turf.
The test results were released Monday.
The College of New Jersey's field remained open Monday while college officials considered their options.
Dr. Eddy Bresnitz, epidemiologist for the state Department of Health and Senior Services, said lead levels at all three fields were up to 10 times higher than what is considered safe.
He has asked the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission to investigate.
"We were concerned the Ironbound results were really a sentinel site for other potentially contaminated sites not only in New Jersey, but around the country," Bresnitz said.
It is not known how easily lead from turf is absorbed by the body. Results of further tests on the high-lead turf samples are expected early next month.
"Based on the limited information we have at this time, the Department's assessment is that there is a very low risk for exposure," the health department said in a statement issued Monday.
Until the additional testing is completed, however, health officials suggested limiting play time at high-lead fields, showering afterward and washing uniforms separately after each outing.
Jon Pritchett, the CEO of General Sports Venue, the Raleigh, N.C.-based exclusive licensee of Astro Turf products in the United States, said the company's independent tests have shown a low risk of exposure.
"Obviously, we take very seriously any concerns about the safety of our products and this is no exception," Pritchett said.
He said the lead used in the turf's pigment is encapsulated in the blades and is therefore unlikely to leach out. Lead is most likely to be found in older turf fields, he said. The company now makes a lead-free nylon-based turf.
Jeff Tittel, executive director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said his organization has been fighting the use of public money for artificial turf fields for the past six years.
He said the original belief that turf might be a better environmental choice than grass because it doesn't require fertilizer or water gave way to concerns over the chemicals it's made of.
"If cows can't eat it, children shouldn't be allowed to play on it," he said.
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