LA Times - Turf war: California sues artificial-grass makers over lead content

This Article was referenced in Ford Greene's reponse to the Jolly Roger article in an earlier post

Turf war: California sues artificial-grass makers over lead content
California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown and other law enforcement officials allege that three makers of artificial turf deliberately failed to disclose that their products contain lead.

By Marc Lifsher, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 4, 2008
SACRAMENTO -- California's attorney general wants to put a new spin on the old admonition "Don't step on the grass!"

The warning could read "Don't roll on the artificial turf" if Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown and local law enforcement officials prevail in a lawsuit filed late Tuesday against three top makers of the green plastic playing fields and grasslike indoor-outdoor carpeting.

The complaint filed in Alameda County Superior Court alleges that the three manufacturers violated California's Proposition 65 environmental law by knowingly failing to disclose that their products contain lead.

The lawsuit, which has been joined by Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo and Solano County Dist. Atty. David W. Paulson, names Beaulieu Group of Georgia, AstroTurf of Georgia and FieldTurf USA Inc. of Florida.

All three companies said they were working with California officials to settle the lawsuit and stressed that their products were safe.

AstroTurf, an artificial-turf pioneer, said in a statement that it "has demonstrated its industry leadership by proactively developing new products that are below the most stringent standards for lead in consumer products."

Joe Fields, chief executive of FieldTurf's Canadian parent company, said that his artificial turf recently got a clean bill of health from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Lead, which is used to give a natural green hue to the artificial turf, has been identified by state agencies as an ingredient that can cause cancer, damage to male and female reproductive systems, and birth defects in developing fetuses.

Children and other individuals can ingest harmful levels of lead by absorbing it through the skin or by rubbing the ersatz grass and then touching food or their mouths, the suit contends.

The state attorney general's office said it found excessive lead levels in some of the artificial-turf samples tested from the three companies.

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.

"As it ages, it forms more dust," he said, and could contain levels of lead that are more than 20 times what's allowed by Proposition 65.

The state, Ragen said, is negotiating with the three companies and is optimistic that a legal settlement can be reached that requires the products to be reformulated so that no lead is used in the manufacturing.

Most companies targeted by Proposition 65, known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, are eager to change their products rather than be forced to sell them with a warning that they contain chemicals "known to the state of California" to cause cancer or birth defects.

"The bottom line is this is 2008. Why are you making something with lead deliberately put into it?" Ragen said. "You need to find some substitute to make the color stable."

Beaulieu attorney Peter Farley says he hopes to reach a friendly settlement with California. He stressed, however, that his company makes only an indoor-outdoor type of product and does not sell artificial turf used on athletic fields and stadiums.

The state decided to take action against the three companies after it received a legal notice from an advocacy group, the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health, that it intended to file a private lawsuit on the lead warning issue against Beaulieu and other artificial-turf manufacturers.

"Our testing on products from dozens of companies shows that artificial turf can contain high amounts of lead that can easily come off onto children's hands when they play on turf fields," said Michael Green, the center's executive director.

marc.lifsher@latimes.com

Mary Bell's Exchange with Tamalpais School Dist. Superintendent

And...the 'Flak' from the School District Superintendent
Are they all on the TAKE, or what?

Subject: Fwd: Article Recommendation (from mary bell): Artificial turf harbors potential health risks, including cancer

Hey folks!
It's not over until. . . . well, it's over!
m
Begin forwarded message:

From: Mary Swan Bell
Date: October 16, 2008 7:58:07 AM PDT
To: Nancy Alderman
Subject: Fwd: Article Recommendation (from mary bell): Artificial turf harbors potential health risks, including cancer

Hi Nancy,

The following was the response by our new high school superintendent, Laurie Kimbrel, to the editorial on artificial turf, printed yesterday in the Jolly Roger high school newspaper. How interesting that this revelatory response came on the heels of my positive and supportive note to her.

http://www.drakejr.com/all-stories/?currentPage=3

It would appear that this cogent and respectful critique is what has earned Drake High School the title of a California Distinguished School! Or, this response highlights the knee-jerk response that appears to be endemic in our Marin County educational system. It is somewhat disturbing that it is the student, and not the artificial turf company, who is the fall-guy in this matter.

Perhaps, EHHI would be interested in educating the superintendent, principal, teacher and editorial staff as to the inherent risks of placing artificial turf on school and community playgrounds.

Superintendent Laurie Kimbrel, Ed. D lkimbrel@tamdistrict.org

Principal Don Drake ddrake@tamdistrict.org,

Jolly Roger Teacher contact: Amity Hotchkiss ahotchkiss@tamdistrict.org


Student Editorial Staff Contact: http://drakejr.squarespace.com/contact/

Many thanks, Nancy!

Mary

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Kimbrel, Laurie"
Date: October 15, 2008 6:35:33 PM PDT
To: "Mary Swan Bell"
Cc: "Wright, John"
Subject: FW: Article Recommendation (from mary bell): Artificial turf harbors potential health risks, including cancer

Mary,
So interesting that you would send me this article. I just received
word from the teacher quoted in the article that he had been misquoted
and misunderstood. I believe he may even write a rebuttal because
absolutely incorrect information was attributed to him. In fact, he was
referring to an IJ article that relied on poor investigation. I think
we can conclude that this is very poor reporting as well.
Laurie


Laurie Kimbrel, Ed.D

Superintendent

Tamalpais Union High School District

(415) 945-3720

lkimbrel@tamdistrict.org


-----Original Message-----
From: Squarespace Services [mailto:services@squarespace.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 4:55 PM
To: Kimbrel, Laurie
Subject: Article Recommendation (from mary bell): Artificial turf
harbors potential health risks, including cancer

mary bell would like you to see the following article.

I thought you might be interested in this editorial by student
journalists at Drake High in San Anselmo. This is investigative
journalism at its best!

Mary Bell

Title: Artificial turf harbors potential health risks, including cancer
Link:
http://www.drakejr.com/all-stories/artificial-turf-harbors-potential-hea
lth-risks-including-can.html

Artificial turf harbors potential health risks, including cancer - Jolly Roger Editorial - SF Drake HS - San Anselmo, CA

From The SF Drake HS Paper - The Jolly Roger
The Kids Speak Out
We included S.A. Councilman Ford Greene's response at the end.

Artificial turf harbors potential health risks, including cancer

Opinion: Editorial,

Volume LVIII (58),

Volume 58: Issue 1

“Turf Wars.” “S.F. debating artificial turf on playgrounds.” “Many questions, few answers about artificial turf.”

These are just a few headlines from publications across the country regarding the proliferation of artificial turf fields in public schools and other community hubs.

Naturally, the articles that matched up with these headlines raised concerns among parents of high school students. Worrying that the fields were unsafe because of newspaper stories warning the public about possible health risks posed to athletes, schools on the east coast began to remove the artificial fields.

However, the fields’ flat surfaces are coveted by our athletic department. With a traditional grass field, the surface could never be flat because there are not enough staffers in our maintenance department to concentrate on grooming the field, says Athletic Director Chad Stuart. The turf fields reduce serious injury to athletes and retain more water than regular grass, according to Stuart. This allows games to be played in the rain so game schedules aren’t scrambled based on the weather.

Our fields were installed by FieldTurf, a company based in Montreal. Stuart maintains that our fields are perfectly safe to play on. He referred the Jolly Roger to a press release sent out to schools by the turf manufacturers. He says that the district researched potential problems that could have surfaced as a result of the fields before installing them.

However, science teacher Barton Clark says that the District conducted their research simply by phoning the manufacturer of the fields. Clearly, that was not the right way to gauge the safety of the fields.

Though the District presumably doesn’t realize it, when our fields heat up they become dangerous. Science teachers Clark and Sue Fox say they have smelled gas rising from the field on hot days.

The off-gassing occurs because of those irritating tire crumbs that inevitably wind up in our shoes after P.E. or sports practices. They may be merely viewed as a nuisance, but the gasses they release are carcinogens, according to National Geographic’s online green guide (which referred to any playground or field materials made from recycled tires). Carcinogens are chemicals that cause cancer.

Turf fields may have been an excellent way to dispose of our used car tires (which were only ever meant to be under our vehicles) if the chemicals used to make the tires were safe for humans to be exposed to. Ground-up tires release 49 different chemicals as they age and are exposed to heat, seven of which are proven carcinogens, according to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA).

Though the fact that we inhale these carcinogens on hot days may not affect us now, in 30 years it could become a problem. Prolonged or excessive exposure to the off-gasses could potentially cause cancer. This cancer may not show up the next day, but the danger of the fields should be recognized by the school district and should not be downplayed by corporations with vested interest in selling their product.

We propose that the district recognize the danger and keep students off the fields when they heat up and release these hazardous fumes. P.E. classes could conduct units that require use of the fields during colder months and athletes could move practices elsewhere or to later in the day.

Unfortunately, our district is currently installing another artificial field in the area behind Safeway, which was formerly a dog park. The Tam Union High School District schools will have priority to use the field, but Stuart expects that there will be time for community members to access it as well. The restrictions for the usage of turf fields on campus should also be applied to the new community field as well.

Chemicals used to manufacture tires are undoubtedly dangerous, but there is a safer way to dispose of our old tires. They can be mixed into asphalt, which according to the State of Arizona Department of Transportation provides an especially smooth riding surface and helps with highway noise reduction. We believe we should put old tires where they belong: back under our cars.

Reader Comments (1)

Good job on your opinion piece. As a member of the San Anselmo Town Council, I was the sole vote against the installation of FieldTurf as the proposed playing surface for the former dog park behind Safeway at Red Hill. When reviewing the packet of materials that Town staff submitted to the Council for consideration of the issue, I was surprised that our staff failed to include or even mention the report on the health hazards arising from the construction of playing field surfaces from recycled tires that California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment published in January 2007, which your piece references. (http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Publications/Tires/62206013.pdf ).

As you accurately note, that report found that materials derived from recycled tires implicate 49 chemicals of which several are known carcinogens, but that one time ingestions thereof are thought to pose no health risk (who plays on a field just once?).

In contrast, and apparently following the lead of the Tamalpais School District, town staff provided the Council with a substantial amount of quasi-scientific propaganda (written material that looks scientific but which includes no citations or references by which its one-sided conclusions can be double-checked or verified) that is distributed by the recycled-tire trade organization called the Synthetic Turf Council.

It is worth noting the California Attorney General has sued Field Turf, along with other manufacturers of synthetic turf, because it has failed to disclose that it contains lead, a cause of cancer, reproductive system damage and birth defects. (see http://www.latimes.com/la-fi-turf4-2008sep04,0,439850.story)

Synthetic turf not only poses health risks to humans, but also to the steelhead salmon, the endangered species which inhabit the Corte Madera Creek, into which the poison from the artificial turf drains in the rainy season.

You will get a lot of flak for your story, but that is the unfortunate way of the world when it comes to exposing inconvenient truths. Stick to your guns and keep up the excellent work.

October 16, 2008 |

Ford Greene

Patrice Letter to S.F. Chron - Marisa Lagos

here is a copy of the letter i sent to the chronicle and the reply i received.

not too inspiring is it? i haven't even touched on the impact on wildlife yet!

that subject is just so big i don't have a clear starting point- i start to sputter and have high blood pressure. p

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Lagos, Marisa" 
Date: October 20, 2008 4:48:52 PM PDT


To: "Patrice Hickox" 
Subject: RE: field turf blues



Thanks for the note, Patrice!



-----Original Message-----


From: Patrice Hickox 


Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 11:18 AM


To: Lagos, Marisa


Subject: field turf blues




dear ms. lagos,

my name is patrice hickox and i have been waging a small 

campaign in marin county for several years against the installation of field turf on the

 county's playing fields. thank you 

for presenting both sides of the argument in today's article. i'm sure 

you will get many emails so i will keep mine brief...

in marin county, artificial fields have not become the friendly 

neighborhood gathering spots for families. 

most of them are surrounded by chain link fences

 that are locked to keep out undesirable elements. 

 these elements are often listed on the

 large signs posted at the entrances to these 

fields.  they begin with the word NO in letters at least six inches high

, and they include dogs, bicycles, tricycles,

 strollers, roller skates, skateboards, golf clubs, remote control 

vehicles,  motorcycles, pogo sticks, barbecues,

 picnics, canned or bottled beverages, gum, and yes, even the dreaded 

'sunflower seeds.’! it seems that these fields 

of rubber and plastic are far less durable than the old fashioned

 grass or even a vacant lot. while its certainly true that 

grass needs to be mowed and watered, field turf needs to vacuumed,

 unless all the surrounding trees are removed.

 not very 'green' in the age of green.  And, speaking of green, let's 

think about that color- never changing, always

 one uniform shade of insect and oxygen and worm free green plastic.

 how lovely! i could go on... but you get the 

picture. field turf is a sad, ugly and unfortunate excuse for a 

playing field.



patrice hickox

fairfax, ca.



Turf fields Popular Despite Safety Concerns - S.F. Chronicle - Marisa Lagos

Here's an Article from the S.F. Chroncle from Oct 19th, 2008.
Differing opinions from differing advocates.

The original article can be found on SFGate.com here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/10/19/BAKQ13DQ1S.DTL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, October 19, 2008 (SF Chronicle)
Turf fields popular despite safety concerns
Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer

Scientists have raised concerns about the safety of synthetic turf sports fields, yet officials in San Francisco say their new parks with the artificial grass are being nearly overrun by youth and adult players starved for playfields.

The soccer and baseball fields that have been installed at four city parks since 2006 have exponentially increased the amount of play time available to sports enthusiasts in a city that has too few fields for children, let alone adults.

Children and adults are swarming to the new spots, many of them on the underserved eastern side of the city. The soccer and ball fields at Silver Terrace Playground - once a neglected, weed-covered and pock-marked site- are now among the most-requested facilities in San Francisco. Before the turf was installed, parents and players would ask that their teams not be assigned to the park.

"I have coaches and families begging to get access," Shelli Meneghetti, co-president of the Viking Soccer League, recently told the city's Recreation and Parks Commission. "It's been an amazing experience for the league. The city took crummy fields and converted them into beautiful, fun and safe play areas."

The fields are popular with cash-strapped cities because they reduce maintenance costs, and they're a hit with players because they can be used year-round, rain or shine.

But not everyone is a fan. Some people are angry that their local parks are being taken over by fields regularly reserved by teams. And questions remain about the safety of the fields, which are made from recycled car tires and nylon blades that resemble grass. The safety concerns include questions about whether the fields emit unsafe amounts of lead and chemicals when they heat up, and worries that bacterial infections will spread more easily to players with open wounds.

Last month, the city and its nonprofit partner, the City Fields Foundation, unveiled the latest project -a $10.1 million renovation of Crocker Amazon Playground. Three uneven dirt fields that were previously closed for at least one-quarter of the year had been transformed into five impeccable soccer fields with stadium lighting. Restrooms, bleacher seating, picnic areas, landscaping and a new concession stand were also added. Another three to four parks are in the pipeline to receive the fake grass fields.

Ideally the city would have dozens of perfectly groomed grass fields, said Jill Lounsbury, general manager the San Francisco Nighthawks, an adult women's soccer league.

"But we need fields, and it does rain here," she said. "We've had to cap the (number of teams) in the leagues because it's too hard to find fields. Even as the sport grows, we can't grow ... synthetic fields have alleviated a lot of the burden."

Critics, however, fret that lead and other potentially carcinogenic substances could lead to long-term health problems. Similar questions are being asked in cities across the nation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is investigating if the fields emit harmful chemicals that are being inhaled by players, and whether the materials contain unsafe levels of lead.

California's attorney general, along with an environmental group, filed suit last month accusing six artificial-turf companies of breaking state law by not warning the public of exposure to dangerous amounts of lead.

A task force convened by the city of San Francisco to look at the environmental and health concerns has urged the city to explore alternatives to the rubber granules currently used, and said that the city should not purchase products that contain lead. But they also noted that a federal commission recently determined that the fields do not release harmful levels of the toxin.

This year, neighbors in Potrero Hill successfully blocked the installation of artificial turf at one of their neighborhood parks. Leading the charge was Leah Grant, whose problems with the product ranges from health concerns to worries about the environmental effects of plastic fields such as the loss of oxygen-producing plants and the degradation of ecosystems. She also wonders how the city will dispose of the fields once the turf needs to be replaced.

Grant also said that she and other neighbors who regularly visit Potrero Hill Recreation Center don't want to lose their neighborhood park to athletes who may not even live in the area.

"Neighbors are losing access to neighborhood parks paid for by our taxes," she said. "We're being locked out by the Viking League."

But in a city where officials are fighting to keep families from fleeing to the suburbs, some say it's unfair for a few vocal neighbors to halt a project that could serve thousands of children.

Linda D'Avirro, an activist in the Crocker Amazon area, said neighbors are thrilled with those new fields.

"It's probably the best thing that's happened in the neighborhood in years," she said.

E-mail Marisa Lagos at mlagos@sfchronicle.com 

flood control anyone????

 13 october 08
          yesterday's ij website had these 2 items of interest- at least they were interesting to me.
the first item stated that the town of san anselmo has been asked by jerry draper to annex the property
at the end of los angeles and san francisco blvds. 11 acres. it is beautiful land and it would be
a wonderful addition to the town. converseley, the town would then be responsible for providing
town services such as police, fire and paramedics as well as street crews etc. costs?
           #2 was a small paragraph stating that the american legion cabin- vfw people? is seeking a permit
to do work on the creek behind the log cabin which is certainly in terrible shape and presents
a real and constant hazard. the down side there is that they asked to be excused from having to
comply with federal and state and town ordinances having to do with the preservation of ecosystems
alongside  and inside the creek, in that particular location the creek is especially degraded and has been for years. it would be great to see that part of san anselmo restored,considering the assault the town is making on red hill. which brings me to....
             flood control! has anyone seen any flood control work being done anywhere in fairfax or san anselmo? it will rain again, and we will be dealing with the runoff from the field turf at red hill as well as the field turf at drake. has anyone seen any storm drain improvements? culverts? drainage ditches?
i wonder how the two costs compare- field turf_ flood control. who benefits from field turf? who loses out when we have the annual confluence of high tides and heavy rains?     just wondering.            

Links - Synthetic Turf

http://superfill.net/2008/08/hazard-assessment-of-recycled-tire-crumb-infill-sprague-field-task-force/

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/article?f=/c/a/2008/09/03/BAK012MTOM.DTL

http://cahe.nmsu.edu/programs/turf/documents/brigham-young-study.pdf

EHHI has a new eJourna

Check this out!

Begin forwarded message:

From: Nancy Alderman
Date: October 1, 2008 6:59:33 AM PDT
To: Recipient List Suppressed:;
Subject: EHHI has a new eJournal -- we would love you to take a look


Dear All,

Environment and Human Health, Inc. is introducing its new communication tool called the eJournal. It is designed to bring new reports and studies that expand on-going information concerning the topics of our published reports. This eJournal will be connected to Environment and Human Health, Inc.'s website very soon so that our 40,000 visitors a month can easily connect to our new on-line publication. Meanwhile the eJournal may be visited at:

http://www.ehhijournal.org/

All the best,
Nancy


--
Nancy Alderman, President
Environment and Human Health, Inc.
1191 Ridge Road
North Haven, CT 06473
(phone) 203-248-6582
(fax) 203-288-7571
http://www.ehhi.org

New Study Released by the UMDNJ's School for Public Health on artificial turf pellets

From: Anat Jacobson [mailto:ajacobson@pubadvocate.nyc.gov]

Subject: New Toxic Turf Study

Did you guys see this? We are thinking of sending out a statement to press saying this is further cause for concern and reaffirms the need for the city to test the fields, as we have been saying for over 1 year. What do you think of this study?

Study Finds Lead in Synthetic Turf Can Be Absorbed into Gastric Fluids

SYNTHETIC TURF LEAD

Description


Newswise — Adding to the growing concerns over the health risks posed by lead and other chemicals in synthetic turf materials, a new study by researchers at the UMDNJ-School of Public Health finds that when children or athletes ingest the tiny rubber granules in synthetic turf, it is likely that a significant portion of the lead in the granules will be absorbed by their bodies’ gastric fluids.

The investigation, led by Junfeng (Jim) Zhang, Ph.D., an associate dean and professor of environmental and occupational health at the UMDNJ-School of Public Health, examined lead levels in rubber granules from four parks in New York and simulated digestive tract absorption in two of the samples. Zhang is also a member of the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI), a joint institute of the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers University.

“Even though the samples had relatively low concentrations of lead in the rubber granules, we observed that substantial amounts of lead – 22.7 and 44.2 percent in the two samples tested – were absorbed into synthetic gastric juices,” Zhang said. “Because we know that even low levels of lead can cause neuro-cognitive problems – such as IQ loss – in children, these absorption fractions are meaningful.”

The findings will appear in the November/December issue of the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. The journal posted the report online on August 27, 2008. The United States currently has about 3,500 synthetic turf fields with new fields being added at the rate of about 1,000 per year.

Concern over synthetic turf intensified earlier this year when high levels of lead were reported in three aged AstroTurf fields in New Jersey, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory. In August, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission gave the plastic fibers in “new generation” turf a clean bill of health, but, in September, a California environmental group reported high levels of lead in the “new generation” synthetic turf, sparking lawsuits against three manufacturers.

The UMDNJ study included just one “new generation” artificial fiber. While the sample had a relatively low level of lead, the absorption fractions into synthetic gastric and intestinal fluids were still high (34.6 and 54.0 percent, respectively).

William Crain, a co-author on the study and a child psychologist at The City College of New York, said the findings are especially worrisome with respect to young children who might pick up granules and ingest them. The granules can also be transported to homes in the shoes of field users, making the granules accessible to young children. “Whenever young children are involved, we need to particularly careful, because they are most vulnerable to toxic chemicals,” Crain adds.

The study also included an analysis of the rubber granules in seven park samples for the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The researchers found that five of the seven samples contained at least two PAHs that exceeded New York State Department of Environmental Conservation safety limits for contaminated soil. The PAHs that were found are possible, probable, or known human carcinogens as defined by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The investigators found that the PAHs seemed not be absorbed into the digestive tract, which should help direct researchers to other potential PAH exposure routes, such as inhalation or skin contact.

The investigators also noted high levels of zinc in rubber granules. High zinc levels present a special danger to non-human species in the environment.

“Our study was on a small scale,” Zhang said. “But I hope it helps give a clearer picture of the health risks that synthetic turf poses. I urge public and private agencies to step up funding for research on this crucial public health issue.”

Media interested in interviewing Jim Zhang should contact Jerry Carey, UMDNJ News Service, at (973) 972?5000.

The UMDNJ-School of Public Health is the nation’s first collaborative school of public health and is sponsored by the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in cooperation with Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and New Jersey Institute of Technology.

The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) is the nation's largest free-standing public health sciences university with more than 5,500 students attending the state's three medical schools, its only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and its only school of public health, on five campuses. Last year, there were more than two million patient visits to UMDNJ facilities and faculty at campuses in Newark, New Brunswick/Piscataway, Scotch Plains, Camden and Stratford. UMDNJ operates University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Newark, and University Behavioral HealthCare, a mental health and addiction services network.



_______________________________________________
Media Director
Public Advocate for the City of New York Betsy Gotbaum
1 Centre Street, Floor 15
New York, NY 10007
O : (212) 669-4813
C : (917) 626-6757
F : (212) 669-2633
www.pubadvocate.nyc.gov/
To subscribe to Betsy Gotbaum's blog, the Public Advocate's Corner, visit www.publicadvocatescorner.com

Now Clorox for artificial turf - Clorox press release below

From: Nancy Alderman
Date: May 24, 2008 9:52:36 AM PDT
To: swanbell@sbcglobal.net
Subject: Now Clorox for artificial turf - Clorox press release below



First adults are choosing artificial turf instead of grass and having children play on old rubber tires - then some are finding a need to put antimicrobials on the fields so that the children don't get sick - and now Clorox has just developed a product to put on the fields so that the artificial turf doesn't spread MRSA infections.

Perhaps it is time to rethink this issue instead of piling one exposure on top of another exposure as adults try to fix the original mistake. See below for Clorox press release from today.
Nancy Alderman


http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-05/kd-ncd050508.php

"Clorox® Pro Quaternary All-Purpose Disinfectant Cleaner can be used on a wide variety of hard, nonporous surfaces and in potential CA-MRSA "hot spots, including ....... artificial turf ...... ".

Public release date: 5-May-2008

Contact: Carlisle Campbell
carlisle.campbell@ketchum.com
202-835-9431

New Clorox disinfectant is EPA registered to kill both known types of MRSA

Clorox Pro Quaternary All-Purpose Disinfectant Cleaner offers a 1-step germ-killing solution for professionals

OAKLAND, Calif., May 5, 2008 - While MRSA has been an issue in healthcare settings for years, CA-MRSA outbreaks in the community have been on the rise, with the greatest risk in community settings such as fitness clubs, in sports teams, at schools and daycare centers. In May, The Clorox Company will launch Clorox® Pro Quaternary All-Purpose Disinfectant Cleaner, a disinfectant that is EPA registered to kill germs, including Healthcare-associated and Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA).
Clorox® Pro Quaternary All-Purpose Disinfectant Cleaner is a one-step, labor-saving solution for killing both strains of MRSA as well as a variety of other illness causing germs, such as Hepatitis B and C, Avian Influenza A, HIV-1 and HIV-2, SARS-associated Coronavirus, Rotavirus, Salmonella enterica and E. coli. This hospital grade disinfectant is also a powerful cleaner with a no-rinse pH-neutral, bleach free formula.

"This product offers confidence to those professionals who want to help reduce the spread of germs in their environment, particularly those who are vulnerable to a CA-MRSA outbreak," said Jennifer Case, New Business Development Manager, Clorox Away from Home Division. "Clorox® Pro Quaternary All-Purpose Disinfectant Cleaner is EPA registered to kill both healthcare and community associated strains of MRSA, and is also a powerful all-in-one cleaner and disinfectant that gives you peace of mind that you are using the right product to disinfect surfaces and help reduce the risk of exposure."

###
About MRSA
MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to some common antibiotics such as methicillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. There are two known types - Healthcare-associated (HA-MRSA or MRSA) and Community-associated (CA-MRSA). CA-MRSA is relatively new and refers to an infection acquired by persons who have not been recently (in past year) hospitalized or had a medical procedure. CA-MRSA can spread in highly-populated community settings where there are shared items or surfaces and person-to-person contact, making disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces crucial. Clorox® Pro Quaternary All-Purpose Disinfectant Cleaner is the first nationally-branded disinfectant with a CA-MRSA kill claim to be available for professional environments, such as:
* Recreational facilities: fitness clubs, gymnasiums/arenas, locker rooms and sporting equipment
* Consumer-facing businesses: restaurants, cruise ships, airplanes and hotels
* Public service facilities: fire stations, police stations and jails
* Schools and childcare facilities: classrooms, cafeterias and playgrounds
*
Clorox® Pro Quaternary All-Purpose Disinfectant Cleaner can be used on a wide variety of hard, nonporous surfaces and in potential CA-MRSA "hot spots," including shower stalls, exercise equipment and mats, whirlpool units, steam rooms, artificial turf and helmets, outdoor play equipment - as well as surfaces in other work environments, such as desks, bathrooms, handles and tables.

Using an EPA-registered disinfectant like Clorox® Pro Quaternary All-Purpose Disinfectant Cleaner is an important step to help prevent the spread of CA-MRSA. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommend these steps:
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*
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--
Nancy Alderman, President
Environment and Human Health, Inc.
1191 Ridge Road
North Haven, CT 06473
(phone) 203-248-6582
(fax) 203-288-7571
http://www.ehhi.org

Each full-size soccer field contains 130 tons of infill

From: Nancy Alderman
Date: May 24, 2008 9:52:56 AM PDT
To: swanbell@sbcglobal.net
Subject: Italian study - synthetic turf



"Each full-size soccer field contains 130 tons of infill"


Italy: Synthetic turf fields will be cleaned up!

Corrado Zunino, Erba sintetica, allarme confermato "Quei campi vanno bonificati," in La Repubblica, May 3, 2006 - reproduced in its entirety below and also available at

http://www.repubblica.it/2006/04/sezioni/cronaca/campi-sintetitici-cancerogeni/conferma-rischi-cancro/conferma-rischi-cancro.html

Translated in part by Elio Branca

The former Italian minister of Health, Francesco Storace's last act in office was to make public on May 2, 2006, the study of a commission that he had set up in order to examine the potential risks associated with use of rubber in artificial turf fields. According to the study, the synthetic turf fields in Italy are potentially cancer-causing. The study found levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), toluene (volatile toxic compound), and heavy metals to be higher than the legal limits. The PAHs pose risks to kidneys, liver, and lungs. According to the investigators at the High Institute of Health (Instituto superiore di Sanita), the inhalation of the dust from these substances pose a risk to soccer players. The commission, which also included physicians and lawyers from the ministry of the Environment, urged the adoption of a law to clean up the dangerous fields.

According to Professor Roberto Verna, the president of the commission, "It is clear that PAHs and toluene are a danger to health." "We do not want to spread fear, but it is necessary to find a way to clean up the playing fields," he said. "Let us say, all of the fields in Italy need to be examined, the 350 official ones and the dozens that have been installed without governmental approval," he said.

Accroding to Verna, the inspiration for defining the danger of artificial turf fields comes from the law about greens paces and parklands. The study document will be sent to FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, and to the European Union: the European Union already has prohibited the production of rubber with PAHs after 2007. "This study is the first such work in Europe that has been undertaken by an independent commission," said Varna. "The rubber in the fields," he said, "must be treated like diary products: we must know about the origin of the rubber, the process and how its is made into its final form - to get a seal of approval/label of quality."

According to Carlo Tavecchio, president of national league of amateurs (Lega nazionale dilettanti), "we have to open up 200 fields and take out/vacuum the noxious substances. The cost will be divided among the Federal soccer organization, the producers of the turf and management of the clubs." This will be a titanic undertaking. Each full-size soccer field (11 v. 11) contains 130 tons of infill and costs between 300,000 to 650,000 Euros.

On the heel of the discovery of toxicity of the artificial turf fields, a pitched industrial battle is brewing between the producers of virgin rubber and recycled rubber, the big versus small. There is Olimpico that makes a product that is a mix of artificial grass and natural grass and does not need rubber. Then there are firms that manufacture foundations/underlay for artificial turf fields out of cork.

The commission noticed a great number of children's playgrounds are on rubber surfaces that are produced by the same firms that manufacture the rubber for artificial turf fields. The SBR rubber is considered risky.

According to Giovanni Lolli, undersecretary of Sports, "This is a serious problem. The commission has done diligent work: the next administration should reconvene the commission."

--
Nancy Alderman, President
Environment and Human Health, Inc.
1191 Ridge Road
North Haven, CT 06473
(phone) 203-248-6582
(fax) 203-288-7571
http://www.ehhi.org

Turf Field Temperatures

From: Nancy Alderman
Date: June 9, 2008 5:21:32 PM PDT
To: Recipient List Suppressed:;
Subject: Synthetic Turf Field in MA reached 161 degrees

From: tsciacca@comcast.net

Subject: Turf Field Temperatures
Date: Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:47:55 +0000


I am addressing this note to those who I believe are especially concerned with the issue of temperatures of artificial turf athletic fields, and especially to those who may be concerned with outgassing or leaching issues from such fields.

I have been studying field surface temperatures in the Boston area since last August, and have formulated a qualitative model to explain the reasons for the unusual thermal behavior and predict when it is likely to approach worst case. A paper I wrote on the subject is available on Synturf.org (Sciacca Heat Study).

On Saturday I measured a surface temperature on the Wayland, MA field of 161 degrees F. This is the highest temperature I have noted thus far, and is consistent with the model I postulated.

I predict the highest temperatures will be reached in the Northeast in the next three to four weeks. I urge anyone investigating outgassing or leaching issues to sample in this period. Worst case conditions will be achieved on hot, cloudless, windless days, between one and three PM. (Probably between one and two PM).

You might wonder about my credentials for addressing this issue, since I currently have no relevant organizational affiliation. I am a retired Electrical Engineer (alumni of MIT). Nearly 30 years ago I invented some precision temperature measurement instrumentation which was the key to manufacture of fiber optic cable and used in all the early fiber cable manufacturing plants. You all use the results of my temperature measurement expertise every time you use the Internet, watch TV, or make a phone call.

I hope the comments above help further the understanding of the risks associated with this technology.

Tom Sciacca
Wayland, MA

--
Nancy Alderman, President
Environment and Human Health, Inc.
1191 Ridge Road
North Haven, CT 06473
(phone) 203-248-6582
(fax) 203-288-7571
http://www.ehhi.org

What Lies Beneath: Toxic Turf Under Our Toes - J Sorensen

Healthy Child Times - Summer 2008


HOT BUTTON HEALTH ISSUE
What Lies Beneath: Toxic Turf Under Our Toes

By Janelle Sorensen
http://healthychild.org

Article
What Lies Beneath: Toxic Turf Under Our Toes
Janelle Sorensen
Healthy Child Healthy World
Wednesday, June 18, 2008

In an effort to recycle the growing waste piles of used tires, manufacturers across the country have begun making artificial turf out of the discarded rubber. They are using scrap tires as crumb rubber in-fill on playing fields, as shredded loose fill around playgrounds, as composite solid playing surfaces, and even as landscaping mulch. While it seems an environmentally-friendly option at face value, there is growing concern over the potential impacts these materials may have on children's health. Initial research shows potential chemical and heavy metal leaching depending on a wide variety of external factors, like climate, rainwater pH, and usage. Overall, it's better to be safe than sorry and we should put a moratorium on using recycled tires where our children play until more extensive research has been conducted.
My kids love the first opportunity of the season to kick off their shoes, peel off their socks, and run around outside with bare feet. I admit, my toes appreciate a little dirt in between them now and then, too, but more and more these days, I am wondering about what lies beneath. Not so much in my own yard, but at my neighbors and at the park and the playground. I've worried about pesticides for years now, but recently a new concern has arisen. It all started when I noticed a big truck dumping new ground covering around my daughter's school playground. What the heck was it?

After school I followed her back to the playground and smelled its acrid odor before I saw it (my nose is my initial alarm system for toxic intruders and in this case, the bells were ringing loudly). As we stepped closer I saw that the ground covering was a loose fill of what appeared to be shredded tires. Wait a minute, I thought to myself, aren't tires considered hazardous waste? Isn't that why we can't just toss them in the garbage? Why are we using these where our kids play?

This definitely warranted an eco-mom investigation and what I discovered was confusing to say the least.

The Tale of the Tire
Apparently, tires have been a solid waste issue for many decades now and with an increasing amount of vehicles on the road, the issue continues to grow. At the end of 2003 alone, the US had generated close to 300 million scrap tires. Without government intervention regulating disposal, tires were left to pile up creating breeding grounds for mosquitoes and spontaneously igniting into toxic bonfires. They aren't, as I had initially assumed, hazardous waste. They only necessitate special disposal to avoid the accumulation of tires that prompts the aforementioned breeding grounds and toxic fires.

Fortunately, markets now exist for 80% of scrap tires-up from 17% in 1990. These markets - both recycling and beneficial use - continue to grow. Almost half of the tires are burned for fuel, another 20 percent are used in civil engineering projects, about 8 percent is ground up and recycled into other products and about 4 percent is ground up and used in rubber-modified asphalt. The remainder are exported, retreaded, used "miscellaneously", or land-filled.

Many of these applications are indeed a beneficial second life for a product so integral to modern life. Still, I questioned the physical make-up of tires and the initial research I was finding demonstrating toxic chemicals and heavy metals leaching out of tires. Studies basically show the levels to be minimal, but the mom and environmental health advocate in me always questions "safe levels." If there's a safer alternative, why accept even a "minimal" risk? I am a huge proponent of recycling, but why are we using a potentially risky material where our children play?
A Second Life: Tires as Turf for Athletic Fields and Playgrounds
We've been using artificial turf for decades and it takes a variety of forms, including rubberized asphalt, playground surfaces, and landscape mulches. The original AstroTurf fields are beginning to degrade and release alarming amounts of lead into the environment. These fields are being torn up and replaced with the latest fake, partially constituted of old tires. Initially touted as an environmentally responsible way to recycle old tires, more are questioning the logic behind using a material too risky to dispose of in landfills for ground cover where our children play.

While the media is mostly covering the use of what's known as "crumb rubber" as infill on synthetic athletic field coverings, scrap tires can also be recycled into solid surfaces, as well as used as loose fill like in the situation of my daughter's school. In this case, the rubber is simply shredded and dumped around the base of a play structure.

My initial research found that contention over the use of this product is growing across the US. Many states and municipalities are halting the continued use of tire turf until more studies are conducted to ensure the safety of the surface.

There are almost no studies on potential health impacts (especially long-term) from using tire rubber, but preliminary reports have found definitive evidence of potential risk. The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), in a January 2007 report Evaluation of Health Effects of Recycled Waste Tires in Playground and Track Products, found that 49 chemicals could be released from tire crumbs.

Recycled crumb rubber contains a number of chemicals that are known or suspected to cause health effects. The most common types of synthetic rubber used in tires are composed of ethylene-propylene and styrene-butadiene combined with vulcanizing agents, fillers, plasticizers, and antioxidants in different quantities, depending on the manufacturer. Tire rubber also contains polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalates, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Rubber leachates are also complex solutions, some of which are known to be harmful to human health; effects of exposure range from skin and eye irritation to major organ damage and even death. Long term exposure can lead to neurological damage, carcinogenesis, and mutagenesis.

While these findings lead one to believe the material is indeed toxic, it is argued that since the rubber is "vulcanized," the toxins are locked in. Some companies claim the material is indestructible and non-biodegradable, completely safe and non-toxic. Simultaneously, they admit that there is an odor at first (which is evidence of chemicals volatilizing from the materialŠ.not locked in after all).

Every study I have come across has only served to emphasize that the devil is in the details. It depends on what form the recycled rubber takes, what degree of usage is endured, and what climate and other environmental factors may impact degradation. Since there are relatively few studies on leaching and health impacts when using scrap tires in these various ways, I have had to try to examine the evidence already available from other uses and make assumptions about what it means for my daughter.
The State of Evidence (or Lack Thereof)
In 1994, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency found that due to heavy metals and other pollutants in tires there is a potential risk for the leaching of toxins into the groundwater when placed in wet soils. Admitting the almost unpredictable nature of tires, this report stated "research has shown that very little leaching occurs when shredded tires are used as light fill material, however limitations have been put on use of this material; each site should be individually assessed determining if this product is appropriate for given conditions."

A 1998 study from the University of Massachusetts reviewed all of the existing literature in order to assess the safety of using recycled tires as light fill in civil engineering projects. While they concluded that it appeared safe, they also stated that "it would be prudent to perform field studies on these areas over longer periods of time. It is important to recognize that the impact of scrap tires on the environment varies according to the local water and soil conditions, especially pH value."

The 2007 study conducted by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment concluded that recycled tires posed minimal risk when used as shredded loose fill, but again reiterated the importance of understanding local climate impacts because the tires may degrade differently in different conditions. They also concluded that they needed further research on the potential toxicity of crumb rubber.

Later in 2007, the Connecticut Department of Analytical Chemistry conducted some of the first experiments on the potential toxicity of crumb rubber. "The laboratory data presented here support the conclusion that under relatively mild conditions of temperature and leaching solvent, components of crumb rubber produced from tires (i) volatilize into the vapor phase and (ii) are leached into water in contact with the crumbsŠBased on these data further studies of crumb rubber produced from tires are warranted under both laboratory, but most especially field conditions."

Each of these studies and others like them have each examined only one small piece of the puzzle. Compiled together, the picture still isn't very clear. We don't know long-term impacts. We don't know how the various heavy metals and chemicals might interact and impact a developing child's system. We don't even know how much or which heavy metals and chemicals might leach in any specific application.
In the Face of Uncertainty
Our gap in knowledge has prompted actions nationwide including a federal investigation of artificial surfaces by the EPA and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Unfortunately, the federal focus will be solely on lead and not the plethora of other heavy metals and toxic chemicals comprising crumb rubber, scrap rubber, or solid surface composites.

Luckily, as we've been seeing a lot lately, states are picking up where the feds leave off. New York state assembly members have imposed a moratorium on the purchase and installation of synthetic turf pending further investigation into potential health effects. Separate bills in New Jersey and California legislatures would ban the installation of new fields until the completion of comprehensive health and environmental studies.

Connecticut Senate Minority Leader John McKinney is working with the commissioners of the state's departments of public health and environmental protection to find a way to use existing funds for a study. A bill by Minnesota State Rep. Phyllis Kahn also calls for a health study on the impacts of crumb rubber use. The earliest results from these studies are expected to be public by the end of the year. Still, most of these studies are limited at best, only addressing the use of crumb rubber on athletic fields. It's a legitimate concern, but what about solid surface and loose fill like my daughter's school playground?

While we wait for the jury's verdict, I have a few questions of my own. It's commendable to find alternative uses for old tires, but why where our children play? Why not use old tires for parking lots or industrial building components? Why not just make tires that aren't so toxic to begin with? Michelin is beginning to experiment with new formulations since Europe's new REACH policy will compromise their ability to sell tires there. Will Michelin sell us safer tires, too? And how about creating synthetic turf from safer materials? Or what about nature's standards, like grass (grown without pesticides, of course) and sand? I know abrasion and impact absorption and durability are all factors, but why do we prioritize acute impacts so far above chronic ones?

Aside from my growing list of questions, I'm encouraged by the amazing innovations that address everyone's concerns. According to the March 2008 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, one new alternative is infill made from plant-derived materials. Synthetic turf manufacturer Limonta Sport produces Geo Safe Play, an infill made from coconut husks and cork. Company spokesperson Domenic Carapella says, "There are certainly alternatives to crumb rubber. There is no longer a reason to sacrifice the playing quality and more importantly the health of children [playing on synthetic turf]."

So often we dive into the unknown when we start using new products. We assume that they have been comprehensively tested for safety, but they aren't required to be. When will we learn our lesson? It's better to be safe than sorry, so while I'm still unclear about whether recycled tires are safe or not, I'm advocating for a moratorium on its use until we know more. I'm still looking, I'm still learning. Watch the Healthy Child blog for updates on what I uncover.

Resources:

LEED certifiable synthetic grass?

Serious Questions About New Generation Artificial Turf that Require Answers

The Myth of Rubberized Landscapes

Hazardous Chemicals in Synthetic Turf

Synthetic Turf Health Debate Takes Root

Synthetic Turf - Environment and Human Health, Inc

Update on Toxic Turf:

The US Centers for Disease Control announced an official public health alert regarding potential lead exposure from synthetic turf. http://www2a.cdc.gov/HAN/ArchiveSys/ViewMsgV.asp?AlertNum=00275

Independent testing commissioned by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has found high levels of lead in artificial turf, including turf and indoor/outdoor grass carpet purchased from major retailers. CEH has initiated legal action against retailers and manufacturers to eliminate lead risks. http://www.cehca.org/press-releases/eliminating-toxics/legal-action-launched-on-lead-in-artificial-turf/

The article above states that NY passed a moratorium, but while one was initiated, it never actually passed. In addition, a bipartisan, two-house toxic turf study bill died in the New York State Legislature on June 23rd. Observers cited pressure from local 'crumb rubber'/recycling companies, and from schools with renovation projects in the pipeline.
Related Articles
The Myth of Rubberized Landscapes
Hazardous Chemicals in Synthetic Turf
Hazardous Chemicals in Synthetic Turf: Follow-Up Analyses




Nancy Alderman, President
Environment and Human Health, Inc.
1191 Ridge Road
North Haven, CT 06473
(phone) 203-248-6582
(fax) 203-288-7571
http://www.ehhi.org

This looks almost illegal - Analysis of USCPSC study on lead in synthetic turf fields

From: Nancy Alderman
Date: July 31, 2008 1:31:31 PM PDT
To: Recipient List Suppressed:;
Subject: This looks almost illegal - Analysis of USCPSC study on lead in synthetic turf fields

David Brown, Sc.D. for Environment and Human Health, Inc. evaluation of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) testing for lead on synthetic turf fields.

David Brown, Sc.D, Public Health Toxicologist, looked at the USCPSC "study".

The USCPSC report sampled only 10 tests on four fields. There were three samples on three fields and one sample on one other field. How many fields are there in the United States? The answer of course is thousands.
The table is padded with other turf data (less than 10) from unspecified sources with no relevancy to the fields in actual use.
They wiped an area 50 cm long and 8 cm wide (18 inches long and 3 inches wide). Your hand is about 4 inches wide and 8 inches long.
Next they divided the amount of lead found by 5 -- because they assumed that the hand is not as efficient at picking up lead as their wipe. They then divided that number obtained again by 2 -- because they assumed that only half of the lead could be taken from on's hand and then becaome ingested.

Their determination of a safe reference exposure:

1.They compared the exposure to a blood level of 10 ug/dl as their level of concern - although current peer reviewed literature clearly demonstrate health effects in children below that level.

2.They than reference a position that chronic ingestion of lead should not exceed 15 ug/day. They then incorrectly assumed that the "not to be exceeded" level was an acceptable exposure level, which it is not.

This rationale makes no sense because of the following incorrect assumptions:

Assumption 1. The child has no other exposures to lead each day. The assumption is clearly incorrect based on population studies published by the centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Assumption 2. During an athletic activity the child only touches the surface with one hand one time each day. This assumption is ludicrous if anyone has observed any athletic activity on any playing field.

Assumption 3. That four fields would be considered adequate to evaluate the safety of the thousands of fields in the United States and then to characterize to the American people that this is a NATIONWIDE evaluation. UNBELIEVABLE

Assumption 4. It is acceptable to ignore the key chemical reaction between the acidity in the moisture on the surface and the release of lead bound in the material. A reading in a basic high school chemistry text shows that highly soluble lead carbonate dust is formed when items containing lead are exposed to air containing carbon dioxide in humid atmosphere such as occurs every morning when dew forms on the surface of the fields

Assumption 5. Most of the lead on the surface is not released on the first pass over the surface. While there may be multiple passes over the surface there is no basis for a division by 5 or any other number, most of the lead is released by the first touch although additional lead is picked up with further wipes. If the CPSC had wiped the field 100 times would they have divided the amount obtains on their sample wipe by 100?

It should be apparent to even the most casual observer that the CPSC test report cannot support any conclusion with respect to the health risk of children to exposure to lead from artificial turf fields. Moreover, lead has never been the only or even major concern from the health scientists.

Nancy Alderman, President
Environment and Human Health, Inc.
1191 Ridge Road
North Haven, CT 06473
(phone) 203-248-6582
(fax) 203-288-7571
http://www.ehhi.org

Congresswoman Delauro(CT)--Synthetic Turf and EPA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Adriana Surfas
Friday 8 August 2008 (202) 225-3661

DeLauro Continues to Press EPA for Thorough Investigation of Potential Health Risks of Synthetic Turf

Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) sent a follow-up letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson pressing for the agency to do a thorough, scientific investigation into the potential health risks of synthetic turf. Additionally, DeLauro expressed concern that the EPA, in coordinating with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, could be relying on conclusions based on flawed methodology and less than sound science. (To view DeLauro's April 28, 2008 letter to the EPA, please click here.)

"I commend the EPA for creating workgroup to better understand the nature and extent of potential exposure to hazardous chemicals in fields and playgrounds where synthetic turf is used and look forward to an update on these activities. However, the questions and concerns surrounding synthetic turf warrant a thorough, scientific investigation," said DeLauro. "Additionally, I have significant concerns that the EPA appears poised to rely on a recent report by the Consumer Product Safety Commission that reached its conclusions based on flawed methodology and less than sound science."

Below is the text of the letter.

August 7, 2008

Administrator Stephen L. Johnson
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20460

Dear Administrator Johnson:

Thank you for your letter of June 4, 2008, in response to my letter of April 28, 2008, requesting that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study the health and environmental impacts of chemicals in synthetic turf, especially as they relate to children and families. I am writing to request an update on the activities described in your letter, and to reiterate the urgency of thorough scientific investigation of this important issue.

First, I commend your efforts to form a workgroup to better understand the nature and extent of potential exposure to hazardous chemicals in fields and playgrounds where synthetic turf is used. I look forward to receiving an update on the activities of this working group, specifically 1) who the members are and their areas of expertise, 2) how many meetings have been held on this issue and what future meetings are planned, 3) what progress has been made to date, and 4) what conclusions has the group drawn to date with regard to both a) potential hazards, and b) next steps. I understand that EPA is planning a scientific meeting on the topic of tire crumbs and synthetic turf later this month, and I look forward to hearing about the outcome of that meeting.

In your June 4, 2008, letter, you noted that "the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is undertaking work that will add to our understanding about the use of lead in synthetic turf, and it is hoped that this effort will help inform additional steps related to this aspect of the concern with synthetic turf." In light of that statement, I am particularly concerned that the report on lead in synthetic turf grass blades recently issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) may have included flawed methodology. As such, the report did not support the conclusion that children are safe from exposure to lead when playing on these fields, let alone the conclusion that the fields are safe overall - given the other toxins and health problems that may be associated with synthetic turf.

The CPSC report itself notes that "this assessment is subject to a number of limitations." Indeed, I am concerned about the following apparent flaws in the study and unresolved issues regarding the health and safety effects of synthetic turf fields:

* All ten of the samples of green synthetic grass that were tested (Table 1, Appendix A) appear to have been taken from four fields manufactured by the same firm (Firm 1). Only the yellow stripes from two other firms (Firms 2 and 3) were tested. There are approximately 3500 synthetic fields currently in use nationally, and 800 additional fields installed each year at high schools, universities, stadiums, and public parks. Even if the other nine non-tested samples are taken into account, it seems questionable for the CPSC to characterize to the American people that all synthetic turf fields in the country are safe.

* Upon close examination, Table 1 in Appendix A contains gaps and unexplained variability in the data presented. For example, for the third entry for "Firm 1, Green; new, 2008" there are no data entered for subsample 3 under the heading "Lead content (%)." Also in Table 1, there appears to be far more variation for the "Wipe Sampling Result (microgram)" than in the "Lead content (%)".

* The CPSC study was titled 'CPSC Staff Analysis and Assessment of Synthetic Turf "Grass Blades"'. However, another key concern regarding the safety of synthetic turf is the recycled tire rubber ("crumb rubber") used in the fields. It is my understanding that a number of chemicals in addition to lead have been found in the crumb rubber, including benzothiazole (a skin and eye irritant), butylated hydroxyanisole (a carcinogen), n-hexadecane (a severe irritant), 4-(t-octyl) phenol (an irritant), phthalates (endocrine and reproductive toxicant, suspected developmental toxicant), and other chemicals.

* The CPSC press release acknowledged that "staff recognizes that some conditions such as age, weathering, exposure to sunlight, and wear and tear might change the amount of lead that could be released from the turf. As turf is used during athletics or play and exposed over time to sunlight, heat and other weather conditions, the surface of the turf may start to become worn and small particles of the lead-containing synthetic grass fibers might be released." According to the report, the oldest field tested (installed in 1999) was associated with the highest estimated daily ingestion of lead. It is important to determine whether this result is due to aging of the field, differences in the way turf fields were manufactured between the older and newer samples, or other reasons.

* The potential health effects of the chemicals in synthetic turf must also be weighed along with other potential health risks, such as the risk of an overheated playing field and increased risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections.

Clearly, additional study is needed before synthetic turf fields can definitively be declared safe. Parents, schools, parks and recreation departments, and others need accurate answers about the safety and health effects of these fields to make the best possible decisions about where children and others are playing. The severe effects of both childhood and adult obesity on the health of Americans only increase the need for timely, trustworthy information on the health effects of synthetic turf.

Thank you for continuing to examine this urgent issue. Please call me with any questions or concerns, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Rosa L. DeLauro
Member of Congress

Cc: James B. Gulliford, Assistant Administrator

Update - Red Hill Dog Park - JPA Meeting Oct. 27, 08

Quick update:

1) The date of the next JPA meeting has been changed to Monday, October 27 @ 7:30 (from Wednesday 10/29) in the San Anselmo Town Council Chambers. I am planning on attending the JPA meeting to introduce our group (the "Red Hill Community Dog Park Alliance"), formally submit the questions/concerns identified at our 9/10 meeting and express our interest in assisting to move forward completion of the Red Hill Community Dog Park. If possible, it would be great to have others attend the meeting as well - as a showing of community support!

2) We scheduled our next Community meeting for November 6 - at which we can report on discussions/actions taken at the JPA meeting. The Vista Room at Isabel Cook Center (same room we met in before) is available @ 7:30 pm.

Question: since the JPA meeting has been moved up, would we rather meet on Wednesday October 29 @ 6:00 in the Vista Room, or leave the meeting as scheduled on Thursday, November 6 @ 7:30 pm.

Synthetic Turf at McInnis Golf Club - Nancy O

Hi All!

I had a "heads-up" from Wendy (hi Wendy!) that the turf meeting was on Sept. 22. I spent at least an hour searching through the Open Space online stuff, and found a mention in their Fall Newsletter. Followed that up with a phone call this morning to find out if it was happening and where it was noticed. No one knew anything. Diana took my name, said I had to wait until Monday to talk to Steve. I pushed the public noticing aspect, got a gal name Callie Beckler, who said the meeting was changed to Oct. 2, 6:30 - 8 at McInnis Golf Club.

Callie said this is NOT a Brown Act meeting, but the IJ will be sent info on the meeting. She said it is a public workshop to take public comment and preview the alternatives on the McInnis plan. It will NOT have the airport. The McInnis master plan (and updates) is only available by email request:
http://egovwebprd.marinpublic.com/depts/PK/main/index.cfm .
It has NOT been posted on their website (why not?).

Apparently the Golf Club (privately owned, leased from the county, under the Parks division) has already put in a synthetic turf driving range. Decision on the rest of McInnis (after the staff sifts though public comment, etc.) will go to the Board of Supes at some point in the future. She said probably September '09.

When pressed, she said the synthetic turf is the way they plan to go. She said they have been studying alternatives and found environmentally friendly ones, etc. I told her they should not rely on the vendor information, but that even if they read the newspaper they will be more educated on the health and environmental hazards of synthetic turf. She had another call to take.

Patrice, I haven't spent the time to figure out how to post to the blog. Please feel free to post this info.
Thanks Mary for all your forwarded info.

More to come. Thanks again everybody for all your help and concern!

Thanks,
Nancy Okada

High Temps On Turf Fields Spark Safety Concerns - FROM NPR

High Temps On Turf Fields Spark Safety Concerns
by Allison Aubrey

Morning Edition, August 7, 2008 · Lots of coaches and players love the benefits of artificial fields. There's no practice time or games lost to muddy conditions, and the fields are easy to maintain. They require no pesticides or water. But increasingly, municipalities are raising questions about extremely high temperatures on the playing fields when the weather is hot and sunny.
The first evidence of a "heat island" effect came a few years ago, when Columbia University climate researcher Stuart Gaffin analyzed thermal images generated from NASA satellite maps of New York City. He wanted to figure out how urban trees may help cool down neighborhoods. When Gaffin noticed a bunch of hot spots on the maps, he assumed they were rooftops. But he wanted to know for certain.
"So we picked five or six really hot locations in the Bronx and went to visit them, and two turned out to be turf fields" says Gaffin. In retrospect, he says he should have realized that, because they're a perfect sunlight-absorbing system.
Temperature Check
To understand just how hot the synthetic fields can get, we visited Riverside Park in Manhattan with Geoffrey Croft, founder of NYC Park Advocates.
Carrying a thermometer, Croft stood at the periphery of one of the turf fields that's used for a soccer camp.
In the shade it's 86 degrees. But out in the center of the soccer field where kids are playing soccer, the sun is directly overhead. Holding his thermometer waist-high, he gets a reading of 160.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
Croft is surprised. "It's way higher than I thought it would be," he says.
As the coaches call a water break, which they do every 15 minutes or so, a group of 8- and 9-year-olds stands dripping in sweat.
"It's hot," says 8-year-old Michael-Luca Natt. "Very hot." Nearby, two more day-campers, Max Rana and Billy Hurwitz, say it can be hard to keep playing when it's so hot on the field.
Heat-Trapping Recycled Tires
Part of what's trapping the heat are bits of ground-up recycled tires used by the manufacturers to cushion the turf. When Croft bounces a ball on the field, bits of the black rubber bounce back up with it.
"It's getting all over my leg," Croft points out as the ball bounces. The kids attending the camps show me how the crumb rubber gets in their hair and in their shoes.
The Synthetic Turf Council is an industry group that represents manufacturers of the products. The group says using recycled tire rubber is a cost-effective way of making the surfaces more resilient. The group is aware of reports of 160-degree temperatures on the fields.
"I don't think anyone in our industry would suggest it's a good idea to play on a surface that's that hot," says Rick Doyle, president of the council.
Doyle says he knows of no documented cases of people being injured. It's more of a management issue, he says.
"Just as coaches have to reschedule games due to rain when they play on grass fields," he says, so too they need to reschedule or consider an alternative surface to play on when it's hot and sunny.
Concerns Over Chemicals
A number of cities and municipalities, including New York City, have many days of very warm and sunny weather.
Coach Mike Handell has permits to run baseball camps in Riverside Park. He says there are only so many green spaces in New York, and increasingly they're being converted to synthetic turf.
Handell says he likes the fact that the fields don't get dry and dusty. But he knows they're hotter, and he's heard concerns about the chemicals found in the recycled tires.
"If they're unsafe. I want to know. I'm mean I'm personally interested because I have permits for these fields," he says, and kids are playing on them.
Heat Is Primary Concern
The New York City Health Department hired consultants to assess potential health risks associated with crumb-rubber turf fields. The report concludes that the risk of harm from exposure to hazardous chemicals such as lead in the rubber appears to be very low unless the chemicals are basically eaten.
According to the report, another possibility is that players may inhale chemicals that vaporize to form a gas. Health assessments suggest that the exposure levels are likely below a level of concern to human health. But these assessments use conservative estimates of exposure. The report says additional studies measuring chemical exposures of players on turf fields should be conducted "to give more representative data on exposures related to urban field use."
Since crumb-rubber turf absorbs and retains heat, the NYC Health Department report says heat is the primary health concern associated with playing on the fields. It says people can suffer dehydration, heatstroke and thermal burns at field temperatures above 115 degrees.
Based on these concerns, the New York City Parks Department has now decided to move away from using recycled-tire rubber in new turf fields. Commissioner Liam Kavanaugh says decisions have already been made regarding a couple of installations.
"We have two fields in construction where we've actually canceled the black crumb rubber and are actively looking for an alternative," Kavanaugh says.
The state of Connecticut has committed $200,000 to conducting exposure studies, with testing scheduled to begin this fall.
The industry has offered up a couple of options, including a sand-based fill. The Synthetic Turf Council says one company, Mondo, advertises that its Ecofill is "up to 50 percent cooler." And another company that markets a product called "Cool Grass" synthetic yarn says it can reduce surface temperatures on synthetic turf by up to 35 percent.
"Technology is evolving all of the time," says the council's Doyle. Yet many of these new products can be quite a bit more expensive.
Kavanaugh says he's hopeful one will work since, overall, the city likes the low-maintenance artificial turf.
But Columbia University researcher Gaffin says he's skeptical. He says even without any black rubber added, the plastic blades of grass in synthetic turf trap a lot of heat.
"They're spongy and lightweight — and that means the solar energy that's absorbed quickly gets converted to high temperatures," he says.
Without the natural system of evaporation that living grasses have, everything's working in one direction to turn sunlit turf fields into heat islands, he says.

Mothers Against Toxins - Ross Valley Group for GREEN Playgrounds

Help Us Keep Ross Valley Playgrounds GREEN
Mothers Against Toxins

Please join us in the fight against placing synthetic turf on Ross Valley playgrounds. As Ross Valley students, your children will play on the new Redhill School field. Demand that that field be toxin free. Demand natural GREEN playgrounds for your children! Help stop big business from putting toxins where your Ross Valley children play soccer, lacrosse, and other field games. Write to save this field and the health of the children of Ross Valley. Contact:
Ross Valley School District
Tamalpais Union High School District
Town of San Anselmo
Marin County School District
Keep Redhill School site free from a synthetic grass field that uses 23 tons of toxic recycled rubber tire particulate. This substance contains many EPA confirmed toxins and is a breeding ground for antibiotic resistant staph (MRSA). Abrasion injuries are very common on synthetic turf, making MRSA infection a likely occurance. This artificial turf is known to reach scorching temperatures on sunny days. This field is not good for your children or the community of Ross Valley.
Keep Ross Valley Schools GREEN!

Write your school districts and the Town of San Anselmo . Ask them to create a green playground. Demand a response. This is for the health of your children and your community! Speak out now. Get active before it's too late!


Marin County School District
- Mary Jane Burke
marincoe@marin.k12.ca.us

Tamalpais Union high School District
NEW Superintendent TAM
Dr. Laurie Kimbrel lkimbrel@d127.org
Board of Trustees
johnw@wellsfargo.com
lparrish@tamdistrict.org
sbutler@tamdistrict.org

Town of San Anselmo
twfreeman@ix.netcom.com
fordgreene@comcast.net

Ross Valley School District
Bryce Sumnick
superintendent@rossvalleyschools.org
cc:cstoeckley@rossvalleyschools.org

Board of Trustees
sagarsharon@yahoo.com
donaldwilson@wachoviafinet.com
ginafeiner@comcast.net


Please contact us for updates:
Mothers Against Toxins:
matmothers@yahoo.com

SB NOo. 1277 -- Maldonado - Act Relating to Synthetic Turf

COMPLETE BILL HISTORY

BILL NUMBER : S.B. No. 1277
AUTHOR
: Maldonado
TOPIC
: Synthetic turf.

TYPE OF BILL :
Inactive
Non-UrgencyNon-Appropriations
Majority Vote RequiredNon-State-Mandated Local ProgramFiscal
Non-Tax Levy

BILL HISTORY
2008
Sept. 27 Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 398, Statutes of 2008.
Sept. 27 Approved by Governor.

Feb. 19
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To
print.



BILL NUMBER: SB 1277
ENROLLED
BILL TEXT


PASSED THE SENATE MAY 12, 2008
PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 14, 2008
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 8, 2008
AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 24, 2008

INTRODUCED BY Senator Maldonado

FEBRUARY 19, 2008

An act relating to synthetic turf.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

SB 1277, Maldonado. Synthetic turf.

Existing law requires all new playgrounds open to the public builtby a public agency or any other entity to conform to theplayground-related standards set forth by the American Society forTesting and Materials and the playground-related guidelines set forthby the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission.

This bill would require, on or before September 1, 2010, theIntegrated Waste Management Board, in consultation with the Office ofEnvironmental Health Hazard Assessment and the State Department ofPublic Health, to prepare and provide to the Legislature and post onthe board's Internet Web site a study on the effects of syntheticturf and natural turf on the environment and public health.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

SECTION 1. (a) By September 1, 2010, the Integrated WasteManagement Board, in consultation with the Office of EnvironmentalHealth Hazard Assessment and the State Department of Public Health,
shall prepare and provide to the Legislature and post on the board'sInternet Web site a study that compares the effects of synthetic turfand natural turf on the environment and the public health.

(b) For purposes of this section, synthetic turf means anycomposition material used to cover or surface a field as analternative to grass.