A few years ago, my hometown of Nyack, became embroiled in an ugly Facebook turf war between parents who wanted to spend about 10 million on artificial turf and those who did not. I was in the "not minority" because I had read the studies about artificial turf causing more injuries. I had my suspicions about endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the turf, but I didn't know about the link to cancer. The crumbly black dots that boys and girls are breathing and absorbing during practices and games. Black rubber crumbs of tires in uniforms, hair, mouths and in cuts and scrapes. Now there are several players who have non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Is it coincidence or connected to the known carcinogens in the turf material?
We value sports and discipline in our culture to build strong moral characters. I don't think children need to build character by having cancer. 38 American soccer players with 34 goalies have cancer. Lymphoma and leukemia top the list.
Crumb turf is not limited to the 11,000 playing fields across this country. Parks, playgrounds, school and stadiums are filled with synthetic fibers and scrap tires that contain benzene, carbon black and lead.
The Synthetic Turf Council says that artificial turf is safe. Tell that to the players and families of players who are battling cancer.
Environmental advocates want studies. The EPA admitted that more testing needs to be done, but this agency would not commission more research leaving it to the state and local jurisdiction.
MONSANTO
Of course, my favorite company to boycott, invented artificial turf in 1964. It was laid on top of concrete (probably contributes to more injuries). The first "ChemGrass" bothered the athletes in Houston because of the hard landings. Crumb rubber was launched in early 2000 to provide more bounce and easier landings. A bonus was that turf costs less than natural grass didn't need fertilizers or pesticides and can hold up to heavy use.
What is in those tires?
Researching the issue is difficult because every tire is made of different material. Thousands of different brand tires make up a field. The secret ingredients in tires is mercury, lead, benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (think combustibles in 911), methylene chloride, chromium and arsenic - all known carcinogens.
Do you have a child or children who play on artificial turf? Are you concerned?
Call us and schedule an environmental workup with the Detox Experts at Second Nature. Level the playing field with the facts.
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