Team 5: Synthetic Turf is Toxic and Causes Injuries

*Click on Links Below:
*Stop Toxic Pesticides
*Regenerative Farming, Permaculture, Agroecology, Organics & Healthy Soil
*Stop Toxic Chemicals & PFAS
*Get the Lead Out
*Stop Plastic Pollution
*Actions You Can Take
*Bills to Support

*Synthetic Turf is NOT Recycled
*NLF Wants Real Grass
*Letters Against Synthetic Turf

Stop Synthetic Turf Sign-On Letter

Click here to sign our letter to oppose the use of synthetic/artificial turf/plastic grass . Toxic chemicals, PFAS, lead and heavy metals have been found in synthetic turf.

Cities & Counties Banning Synthetic Turf

City of Millbrae
Santa Clara County

The states of California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, New York, and Vermont have passed laws to restrict synthetic turf and many other areas have more coming.

This could easily be YOUR child.

Toddler suffers 2nd-degree burns in 2min on playground!

Air temp: 82°F

Police officer’s measurement of playground surface: 160°F!!

Lobby your local council to get these dangerous rubberized surfaces removed from parks!https://t.co/DBmQXo5eHS pic.twitter.com/JTUj9OXPbi
— Ban Plastic Turf (@BanPlasticTurf) July 14, 2023

**Click for article**
““When you extrude plastic, it’s like a cookie cutter,” explained Graham Peaslee, a professor of nuclear physics at the University of Notre Dame who has spent the last five years studying PFAS compounds. Without the PFAS, the rigid plastic used to make the turf durable clogged up the extruding machines that make the turf.”

**Click for article**
**“…the turf fields were removed from the town meeting appropriations article funding the campus wide master plan.”**

**Click for article**
“…lab tests by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, or PEER, and the Ecology Center show that both the grass-like blades and the backing of artificial turf contain the highly toxic fluorinated chemicals known as PFAS.”

**Click for article**
“We already know there are toxic chemicals in the products, so why would we continue to utilize them and have children roll around on them when we have a safe alternative, which is natural grass?” asked Sarah Evans, an environmental health professor for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

**Click for article**
“…artificial turfs can be an important source of pollution in the aquatic environment, accounting for up to 15% of the plastics larger than 5 mm in length that are found floating in the aquatic environment.”

**Click for article**
**“7 of the 10 stadiums with the highest number of injuries per game on average use synthetic turf, and 7 of the 10 stadiums with the least injuries use grass.”**

**Click for article**
“Recent international studies have found PFAS chemicals in the human brain, including in tumors. The chemicals have been linked to kidney and testicular cancer, decreased fertility and immunity to fight infections, and increased risks of asthma and thyroid disease. The rate of brain cancer among the 532 Phillies who played at the Vet between 1971 and 2003 is about three times the average rate among adult men.”

**Click for article**
“Artificial turf is energy intensive to produce and made of petroleum-based plastics that contribute to climate change. The construction, maintenance, and final removal of an artificial turf field creates 527 tons of CO2 equivalents.”

U.S. Congress Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Congressional Hearing
Are Toxic Chemicals From Tires And Playground Surfaces Killing Endangered Salmon?
The Honorable Katie Porter presiding

Click above to hear Dr. Sarah Evans from the Department of Environmental and Public Health at Mount Sinai School of Medicine talk about artificial turf and why it poses real issues for young athletes and their parents.

FieldTurf admits Lead in their Artificial Turf

Lead is a neurotoxin. World Health Organization: There is no safe level of lead.

“The largest single source of [#microplastics] pollution is the granular infill material used on artificial turf pitches, with releases of up to 16,000 tonnes.” -European Chemicals Agency (@EU_ECHA)https://t.co/G0Bcp5jo9j https://t.co/E3xQEO0MFo pic.twitter.com/9zTKugQUzl
— Question Fake Grass (@QuestnFakeGrass) October 22, 2022

**Click for article**
**“The researchers’ findings confirmed the widespread presence of hazardous chemicals in the infill samples.”**
**“In addition, both the crumb rubber and plastic infill are microplastics, which do not biodegrade in the environment and are an emerging concern for human health.”**

**Click for Webinar Slides and Resources**

**Click for information on the dangers of synthetic turf, safe alternatives and organic Maintenance for natural grass athletic fields**

Synthetic Turf is NOT Recycled

turf pile.jpg — Dangerous Pileup of Artificial Turf

Click Here

**Click here for article**
“There is no government agency that monitors or regulates the disposal of artificial turf, which contains toxic chemicals, including PFAS, or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals because they don’t break down in the environment and stay in the human body for years.”

Artificial Turf’s Big Lie: Old Fields Not Recycled

Fields of Waste: Artificial Turf Becomes Mounting Disposal Mess

How old turf fields raise potential environmental, health concerns

The average synthetic turf field puts 40,000 pounds of plastic carpet and 400,000 pounds of infill into landfills.

NFL Players Push for Real Grass Fields

**Click for article**
**“NFL clubs should proactively change all field surfaces to natural grass.”**
“Based on NFL injury data collected from 2012 to 2018, not only was the contact injury rate for lower extremities higher during practices and games held on artificial turf, NFL players consistently experienced a much higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries on turf compared to natural surfaces. Specifically, players have a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries when playing on artificial turf. Of those non-contact injuries, players have a 32% higher rate of non-contact knee injuries on turf and a staggering 69% higher rate of non-contact foot/ankle injuries on turf compared to grass.”
**NFL Study: Higher Rates of Injury on Synthetic Turf**
**NFLPA president JC Tretter Calls for NFL to Only Allow Natural Grass Fields**
**49ers General Manager John Lynch Calls for All-Grass Fields Throughout the League**
**49er’s Defensive Lineman Solomon Thomas Calls on NFL to Use Grass Fields Only**
**DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director for the NFLPA, Wants All Grass Fields**

Letters Against Synthetic Turf

clean water action - Oceanside turf oppose letter.jpg

Synthetic Nightmare

Oh how the times have changed
And for the worse, I do find strange.
Plastic lawns all around
Plaguing my nightmares as I drown
In PFAs, mercury, and lead galore
And other chemicals, much much more.

In this waking dream I too see,
Other athletes just like me.
Tripping, falling, screaming, crying;
Their dreams crushed by some plastic thing.

I identify the thing as a synthetic monster,
A green, ugly, dangerous, grassy imposter.
It’s tendrils burn in the sun,
As it’s worshippers just throw more funds
At it to fix it time and time again.
They just won’t listen, just won’t bend.
I want to cry, but laugh instead,
natural grass is cheaper I address to them.

I turn around to a deadly gift
The grass monster presents to me.
A whiff of cancer I smell in there
So I back away and run in fear.

But then I awaken once more,
And all is safe, I sigh relieved.
But oh boy would it have been bad
If I had latex allergies.
That would have been a drag.