EHHI's Op-Ed in response to the Washington Examiner article of December 27, 2012
"Prince Georges County bill would require turf fields at all high schools"

Synthetic turf with ground-up rubber tire "in-fill" pose health concerns

When Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI) researched the health issues presented by synthetic turf fields, it looked at the ground-up rubber tire in-fill that is a major component of synthetic turf. The in-fill is made of used rubber tires. In some states used rubber tires are considered a "hazardous" waste and in other states they are considered a "special" waste. Tons of ground-up rubber tires are used as "in-fill" in each field.

To actually put into law that all new athletic fields in P.G. County need to be converted to synthetic turf fields by 2018 would be incredibly irresponsible. Environment and Human Health Inc., (EHHI) is an eleven member nonprofit organization composed of physicians and public health professionals dedicated to protecting human health from environmental harms, has been, and continues to be, concerned about the health issues that these fields present.

Synthetic turf fields are made of a synthetic grasslike material to which large amounts of ground-up rubber tires are added as "in-fill." It is the out-gassing of chemicals from these ground-up rubber tire "crumbs" as well as the rubber crumb dust that pose the greatest health concerns.

The new "synthetic turf" fields are not turf in any sense of the word. They are large surfaces, covered with infil material derived from grinding up used rubber tires until they are the size of grains of course sand. These fields can cost up to $1 million apiece.

Each field gets "infilled" with about 40,000 ground up rubber tires. There is no barrier between the rubber crumbs and the athletes playing on the fields. The rubber crumbs are unstable and get into the shoes, stockings, clothing and even the hair and ears of those who play on the fields. Dust particles from these crumbs are easily inhaled.

Although there have been numerous studies cited in the past to justify the safety of the rubber tire crumbs, when EHHI members reviewed the findings of many of these, they consistently found that there would indeed be exposures to the components of the tire crumbs. Many studies found that dust from the rubber crumbs contained carcinogens that could be inhaled into the deepest portions of the lung.

An oncologist with the Yale Cancer Center in Connecticut, Dr. Barry Boyd, who is also a member of Environment and Human Health Inc, has said: ''While fear of raising concerns may be an understandable motive for limiting public information about risk, the long-recognized goal of limiting childhood exposures to environmental hazards must take precedence.''

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Analytic Laboratory tested the ground-up rubber tires for what chemicals they released into the air and the ground water. The tests showed that the toxins from the ground-up rubber tires were capable of both getting into the air and into the water.

Many chemicals were found by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station besides very high levels of zinc. The four compounds that were conclusively identified with confirmatory tests, were: benzothiazole; butylated hydroxyanisole; n-hexadecane; and 4-(t-octyl) phenol. Approximately two dozen other chemicals were indicated at lower levels. The four chemicals found have the following reported actions:

Benzothiazole: Skin and eye irritation, harmful if swallowed. There is no available data on cancer, mutagenic toxicity, teratogenic toxicity, or developmental toxicity.

Butylated hydroxyanisole: Recognized carcinogen, suspected endocrine toxicant, gastrointestinal toxicant, immunotoxicant (adverse effects on the immune system), neurotoxicant (adverse effects on the nervous system), skin and sense-organ toxicant. There is no available data on cancer, mutagenic toxicity, teratogenic toxicity, or developmental toxicity.

n-hexadecane: Severe irritant based on human and animal studies. There is no available data on cancer, mutagenic toxicity, teratogenic toxicity, or developmental toxicity.

4-(t-octyl) phenol: Corrosive and destructive to mucous membranes. There is no available data on cancer, mutagenic toxicity, teratogenic toxicity, or developmental toxicity.

Besides those chemicals, other chemicals often found in rubber tires are:

Benzene: Carcinogen, Developmental Toxicant, Reproductive Toxicant

Phthalates: Suspected Developmental Toxicant, Endocrine Toxicant, Reproductive Toxicant

PAHs: Suspected Cardiovascular or Blood Toxicant, Gastrointestinal or Liver Toxicant, Reproductive Toxicant ,Respiratory Toxicant

Maganese: Neurotoxin

Carbon Black: Carcinogen and Carbon Black Nanoparticles -- health effects unknown

Latex: Causes allergic reactions in some people

The heat risk associated with artificial turf is also a major problem in the summer months -- with reports of temperatures reaching above 150 degrees on the fields on many summer days.

To make matters worse, studies by Stuart Gaffin at Columbia University's Center for Climate Systems Research determined that ground-up rubber tires on synthetic turf fields could get as hot as 160 degrees on a hot summer day.

People are asked by the synthetic turf manufacturers to assume that the amount of exposures from the rubber crumbs - as well as exposures from the rubber crumb dust - are insufficient to produce any health effect, irrespective of the age of the child or the number of hours, days or years that a person plays on these fields. Those who promote these fields' safety provide no measurements in which to support these assumptions.

Nancy Alderman is president of Environment and Human Health Inc., based in North Haven, CT.
Environment and Human Health, Inc. receives no funding from either businesses or corporations.

Web site:www.ehhi.org