THE DAILY KERNEL

Back in May I noted this ABC News report on the dangers of artificial turf. Today’s LA Times reports that California Attorney General Jerry Brown alleges in a lawsuit against top makers of green plastic playing fields that:

…three makers of artificial turf deliberately failed to disclose that their products contain lead.

It turns out that lead is used to give the green color to artificial turf. According to the article:

lead,…,has been identified by state agencies as a chemical that can cause cancer, damage to male and female reproductive systems, and birth defects in developing fetuses.

The article does indicate that excessive lead was not found in all of the artificial turf samples from the three companies.

However, it was noted that:

Although artificial turf presents little or no danger when it is new, lead levels rise to potentially harmful levels as it gets older, said Deputy Atty. Gen. Dennis A. Ragen, the state’s lead attorney on the lawsuit.

The lead in artificial turf is a serious issue as the field ages and the dust from the material comes off on children’s hands, which they then put in their mouths. Lead contaminated dust could wash off the field and into the environment. Any installation of artificial turf at the Presidio should be carefully considered in the light of this information.

–Doug Kern

Tags: artificial turf, ballfields, human health, synthetic turf, Tennessee Hollow, water quality

Tags: Restoration by Doug
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Synthetic turf has been recommended for potential use at the Presidio of San Francisco for upgrading the ballfields. Identified advantages are greater playing time and less maintenance. In October 2007, the Urban Watershed Project commented on the use of synthetic turf as proposed in the Tennessee Hollow Environmental Assessment:

While we do understand and support the benefits of using synthetic turf, UWP remains concerned about water quality impacts from this surface downstream of proposed ballfield sites. We would like to see that potential impacts are studied prior to installation and that the synthetic turf presents no danger to downstream receptors.

I’d still like to know whether maintenance of the field will introduce problem chemicals to the environment and restored creeks below the site.  For example, what is applied to clean and disinfect the field?  Fabric softeners?

While potential water quality impacts remain a major concern, what about the human health impacts?  Check out the April 17, 2008 video below from ABC News looking at the potential health impacts from synthetic turf. I certainly support further investigation into synthetic turf prior to its use at the Presidio. 

– Doug Kern

Tags: ballfields, environmental assessment, environmental document, human health, lead, synthetic turf, Tennessee Hollow, water quality

Tags: Restoration by Doug
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