Synthetic Turf: Exposures to Ground Up Rubber Tires on Athletic Fields and Playgrounds

Archived studies and news reports that expand the scope of Environment & Human Health, Inc.'s (EHHI) research reports about health and the environment.

The European Union Ban on Microplastics Includes Artificial Turf
The European Union (EU) banned the sale of products containing intentionally added microplastics. The regulation specifically includes crumb rubber infill used in artificial turf fields, which contribute to microplastics in the environment. The EU also urged other nations to follow suit in banning crumb rubber infill derived from shredded end-of-life automobile tires. Click here for the article.

Does playing soccer on artificial turf increase cancer risk, especially in kids?
For more than a decade, parents, coaches, and players have worried that crushed-up tires in synthetic turf pose health risks. Longtime University of Washington goalies coach Amy Griffin has compiled a list of athletes with cancer who played on crumb-rubber turf. The list now includes close to 300 people, more than half of whom have a form of blood cancer. Click here for the article, including comment from EHHI board member David Brown.

Forever Fields: How Pennsylvania became a dumping ground for discarded artificial turf
Artificial turf made from scrap tires contains toxic "forever" chemicals, or PFAS. In 2018, Re-Match, a Denmark-based recycling company, paid Pennsylvania farmers to store the turf, but never built its planned recycling plant. “They call PFAS chemicals forever chemicals for a reason,” says former EPA official Kyla Bennett. “These are forever fields.” Click here for the article.

Jets QB injured: NFL teams have been asking the league for years to install grass at every stadium
Multiple teams have complained about the turf at the Jets' MetLife Stadium. Player Aaron Rodgers was injured during the first quarter of the game against the Bills. Rodgers went down with an injury in the first quarter, and when it happened, it appeared that his left ankle might have gotten caught in the turf at MetLife Stadium. Click here for the CBS Sports article.

New carcinogens discovered in rubber granulates used in artificial turf
Researchers at the University of Amsterdam warned in January 2021 that 46 new substances have been found in crumb rubber, several of which are carcinogenic or hazardous to health. One such substance is Bisphenol F, which is very similar to Bisphenol A. Several of these newly identified substances are even more prone to leaking than other compounds in crumb rubber that are already known to be harmful. They pose risks to health, especially if they come into contact with skin, as frequently happens when sports are played on artificial turf. Click here for the article and videos from the University of Amsterdam.

Toxic chemicals are found in blades of artificial turf
Laboratory testing of artificial turf found elevated levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals known as PFAS, which have been linked to kidney cancer, low infant birth weights, and a range of diseases. PFAS were found in the plastic backing of two samples of the turf and in the “blades” of the artificial grass. Click here to read the article in the Boston Globe.

EHHI releases synthetic turf report
Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI) released Synthetic Turf: Industry's Claims Versus the Science. Industry continues to claim that there are studies that prove the synthetic turf fields and rubber mulch playgrounds are safe. EHHI spent a year carefully reading these studies and summarizing the findings in an easily accessible report. Click here to download EHHI's new report.

 

2023 Women's World Cup to be played on natural grass fields
Men's World Cup games have always been played on grass. Now FIFA has made it clear that artificial surfaces will no longer be acceptable for women's play at the World Cup. Women soccer players raised concerns about injuries linked to artificial turf in 2015. Click here to read the article.

Crumb rubber from recycled tires contains harmful compounds
Research conducted at Yale University on crumb rubber yielded 92 separate compounds, of which only about half have been tested for human health effects. Of these, nine are known carcinogens and another 20 are recognized irritants. The study found measurable amounts of lead and cadmium, and relatively large amounts of zinc. Click here to read the article by Gaboury Benoit in Water, Air & Soil Pollution.

Soccer goalies make up about 10% of the team, but get the most cancers
Soccer players continue to experience rising rates of cancer, warns University of Washington women’s soccer coach Amy Griffin. Of the 203 soccer players diagnosed with cancer as of January 2109, 119 (59%) are goalkeepers. Goalies account for 68% of cases of leukemia. Click to read the list of cancers by type.

The 100-yard deception: FieldTurf executives misled towns and schools about deteriorating fields
When the hottest-selling artificial turf fields began to fall apart, executives of FieldTurf put profits over the good of their biggest customer — the unwitting taxpayer. An in-depth investigation in a three-part series. Click here to read the story.

New Jersey lawmakers call for fraud investigation and action against FieldTurf
The industry-leading artificial turf company, FieldTurf, aggressively marketed defective artificial sports fields and misled schools and municipalities. Now legislators are calling for investigations and a class-action lawsuit to hold the company accountable for widespread deception. Click here to read the story.

Amsterdam says "no" to rubber granules in artificial turf
Amsterdam will not accept rubber granules in new artificial turf fields. The people have lost confidence in the granules, officials say. Tire industry association VACO did its own, separate analysis and found that 58 out of 60 artificial turf fields contain a higher concentration of carcinogenic substances than consumer standards allow. Click here to read the story.

 

Chemical analysis conducted at Yale University on crumb rubber infill and playground rubber mulch
The analysis conducted at the Yale University found 96 chemicals in the synthetic turf and rubber tire mulch used as surfacing in toddler playgrounds. The study found 10 carcinogens and 20 irritants in the artificial turf and crumb rubber mulch. Click here to read the analysis.

 

Analysis of metals conducted at Yale University on crumb rubber infill and playground rubber mulch
The analysis conducted at Yale University shows that metals are present in, and presumably released from, the crumb rubber. The metals released from the various samples are very different, reflecting the lack of standardization in the shredded waste tires. This is because tires are collected from all over the country and then put into shredding machines. There is no standardization — and in fact the tires come from trucks, cars, and as many different kinds of vehicles as you can imagine. Click here to read the analysis and here for analysis methods.

 

New synthetic turf fields proposed: Did the state Department of Health claim the fields were safe?
The Connecticut Department of Health took the position that synthetic turf fields were safe years before they, or any one else, had tested them. Click here to read the OpEd.

 

Who are the "rented white coats" who defend toxic chemicals?
Meet the "scientists for sale" in a world where corporate interests dictate findings and scientists for hire willingly oblige. Click here to read more.

California Senate cites EHHI's study in artificial turf debate
A hearing in the California Senate provides a good overview of crumb rubber issues, citing EHHI's study at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences. Click here to watch the video.

Two worn soccer fields with artificial surfaces closed in Las Vegas, deemed unsafe
The fields, which opened in 2007, have literally been torn to pieces. Large chunks of turf are missing in several areas and the seams between turf sections are showing. Now, studies across the country, including one undertaken by Gaboury Benoit, an environmental chemist and professor at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, suggest that "crumb rubber" contains carcinogens. Click here to read the article.

Massachusetts legislators submit letter to United States Consumer Product Safety Commission
Massachusetts delegates asked the CPSC to regulate interior and exterior use of crumb rubber as a children's product to ensure the safety of children and adults who use crumb rubber artificial turf fields. Click here to read the letter to CSPC.

Leachability: chemicals of concern found in the air, water, and soil adjacent to crumb rubber and other recycled tire products
Chemicals and heavy metals leach out of the small crumb rubber in synthetic turf fields at a greater rate even than the rubber mulch. "The smaller the particle size, the greater the potential for leaching," according to the WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION FACT SHEET * FS163E. Click here to download the publication.

Empire State Consumer Project (ESCP) 2015 Children's Products Safety Report
The Empire State Consumer Project found arsenic, cadmium, and zinc at "higher than current acceptable limits." ESCP says it's the only consumer agency conducting chemical safety testing on artificial mulch made from ground up tires. Click here to read page 34-35 of the publication.

Physicians and health professionals warn of potential health problems
"The safest material for students and athletes to play on is grass. We believe that what has happened with synthetic turf fields has been a massive failure of government to protect the public by allowing shredded-up waste tires to get into the market place and put where children, students and athletes play." Click here to read the letter in the New Haven Register.

EHHI analyzes the Connecticut study of 2010
Because the synthetic turf industry has claimed that the CT Department of Health study shows that synthetic turf fields were safe, Environment and Human Health, Inc., felt it important to closely analyze the actual study to see what it really said. The study only looked at the health risks to those 12 years and up — yet many younger children also play on these fields. Click here to read Human Health Risk Assessment of Artificial Turf Fields Based Upon Results from Five Fields in Connecticut. On careful reading you will see the flaws in the study and all their stated limitations. It is hard to believe that the researchers could declare that their data showed the fields were safe. Click here to read EHHI's detailed analysis of the study.

News items are not independently verified by EHHI and inclusion on this site does not constitute an endorsement.