SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Artificial turf has existed for decades and while its technology is constantly improving, it may not be as safe as we may think. Modern day turf has many immune health concerns especially for young athletes. Chemicals like polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s) and volatile organic compounds can cause many issues amongst student athletes in their future.
Many Central New York high schools have jumped on the hype train of getting artificial turfs. Of the top 10 largest high schools in Central New York, 9 of them have put in a turf field within the past 5 years. However, doctor Rachel Massey at the University of Massachusetts Lowell says there is something schools aren’t looking at.
“There are concerns about metals such as lead or zinc,” Massey said. “There are concerns about polyaromatic hydrocarbons or PAH’s. Many of those are carcinogenic.”
Carcinogens are any substance that can cause cancer and metals like lead and zinc are on that list. Even in small amounts, metals such as lead or zinc can be extremely harmful and can cause extreme health issue in the future. However metals may seem like an obviously toxic material. One of the most not talked about materials and one of the most popular ones amongst turf is called Waste Tire. It originally was supposed to be a way to help recycle old car tires but Massey explains, they are much more harmful than we think.
“The U.S EPA did a literature review back in 2016 where they looked at all the tire related chemicals that have been identified in the literature up to that point,” Massey said. “And they found hundreds of chemicals that were in the literature. And there have been more identified in the years since then.”
It’s not just that hundreds of chemicals have been found within the past decade but that there are even more unknown chemicals out there. There is one thing that scientists learned so far about artificial turf. Artificial turf can get up to 20 degrees hotter than natural grass. That can cause permanent skin damage and can cause up to second degree burns if slid on.
“I think that anybody involved in sports, whether its players or parents or coaches, should be very mindful of those elevated surface temperatures,” Massey said.
Heat related illness can be life-threatening of not dealt with immediately and with correct care. For more information on turf and the potential harm is may cause, check out the Green Building Alliance and The University of Massachusetts Lowell.
