THIS summer three women from Westport, Conn., urged a nonprofit group in North Haven to test for hazardous materials in synthetic turf that is being placed on playing fields across their state.
The results came back positive, showing that hazardous metals in the turf granules leach into water, and that at 140 degrees Fahrenheit (a temperature that synthetic turf can reach during summer), other toxic chemicals are released into the air.
Like the women in Westport, a number of residents in several New Jersey towns want local officials to call off synthetic turf installations.
But in the absence of government regulations on the hazards, residents have yet to get any new installations halted.
Although synthetic turf is expensive to install, many municipalities and school districts find it appealing. It’s springier than the old AstroTurf and feels more like natural grass. It doesn’t get chopped up by players’ cleats, and it doesn’t get muddy during a rain, so it allows for more practices and games. In many suburbs, parents are raising private funds to help pay for the new turf.
But despite its appeal, synthetic turf poses serious physical and developmental problems for children. Schools and towns would be wise to avoid it.