Ar#ﬁcial Turf and Safer Alterna#ves

Rachel Massey and Lindsey Pollard
Collabora4ve on Health and the Environment
January 27, 2022
© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts LowellLowell• Principles of toxics use reduc#on– Work with businesses &communi4es to reduce the use oftoxic chemicals•

Primary preven4on of disease– Focus on inherent hazard– Assess alterna4ves••

Avoid regreKable subs4tu4ons
Iden4fy eﬃciencies & cost saving
opportuni4es© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell2Overview
Ar4ﬁcial turf – chemicals– Inﬁlls – 4re crumb– Inﬁlls - alterna4ves– PFAS in ar4ﬁcial turf
carpet• Addi4onal concerns related
to ar4ﬁcial turf
• Safer alterna4ve –Sustainably managed
natural grass ﬁelds•© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell3

Tire crumb

Source of image: Ohio EPA

Source of image: EHHI

Source of image: Ohio EPA© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell4

Tire ingredients
include:• Natural & synthetic rubber• Fillers• Antioxidants,
antiozonants,
vulcanization compounds
Source of image: EHHI

© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell5Toxic chemicals in #re crumb include:• Metals– E.g. lead, zinc, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, nickel• Polyaroma4c hydrocarbons (PAHs)– E.g. ﬂuoranthene, pyrene, naphthalene, etc.

• Phthalate esters– E.g. di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate• Phenols– E.g. 4-tert-octylphenol• Vola4le organic compounds (VOCs)•– E.g. benzene, hexane, styrene, toluene, xylenes, benzothiazole
Over 350 chemicals iden4ﬁed in EPA literature review; addi4onal
chemicals iden4ﬁed in subsequent studies.

© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell6• Examina#on of inﬁll materials– Hazard-based comparison– Complex materials
containing many
chemicals– Lack of disclosure© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell7

Alterna#ve inﬁlls

EPDM rubber

Athletic shoe material

Thermoplastic elastomer(TPE)

Acrylic-coated sandMineral-based (e.g. sand)Plant-based (e.g. coconutfiber, cork)

Tire crumb© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell8

Alternative infills
From Massey et al. 2020

Summary• No infill material was clearly free of concerns• Some alternative materials contain some of the samechemicals of concern as those found in tire crumb– However, they may contain a smaller number of thesechemicals, and the chemicals may be present in lower
quantities.

• Infills are just one component of the artificial turf system,and other components also require careful examination
Massey, R., Pollard, L., et al. “Artificial Turf Infill: A Comparative Assessment of ChemicalContents.” New Solutions 2020.
© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell10

New research on inﬁlls: Armada et al., 2022•••

91 infill samples– PAHs, plasticizers, antioxidants, vulcanization
compounds• Toxic chemicals in all samples• Some exceeded ECHA limits for PAHs
Alternative infills– TPE:• PAHs lower• Plasticizers higher– Cork:• PAHs and other chemicals of concern low or absent
Concerns for microplastic pollution.

Source of image: Armada et al. 2022

Reference: Armada, D et al. 2022. Global evaluation of the chemical hazard of recycled tire crumb rubber
employed on worldwide synthetic turf football pitches. Science of the Total Environment 812: 152542.
© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell11

PFAS in ar#ﬁcial turf carpet§ Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl
substances (PFAS) havebeen found in artificial turf
grass blades & othercomponents§ PFAS pose concerns
including persistence andadverse health effects© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell

12Understanding PFAS tes#ng••••Thousands of individual PFAS chemicals– Many break down into a common set of degrada4on products
EPA methods include– Test methods for 29 PFAS in drinking water– September 2021 – dra` test method for 40 PFAS in 8 media
Op4ons include:– Total Fluorine or Total Organic Fluorine Analysis– Total Oxidizable Precursor (TOP) Assay
Greater informa4on can be obtained by using more than one testmethod© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell13

Other concerns include:•Heat: In warm, sunny weather, ar4ﬁcial
turf becomes hoKer than natural grass,
regardless of inﬁll materials or carpet ﬁbertype•

Environmental concerns: Microplas4c
pollu4on, chemical run-oﬀ and water andsoil contamina4on, habitat loss, use ofan4microbials•

Disposal: Based on current evidence, mostar4ﬁcial turf is not recycled•

Injuries: Par4cular concerns for skinabrasions

Rubber infill particles in the Puyallup River, WA- (Source:Seattle Times)

Photo: Steve Ringman/Seattle Times© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell14

Studies of #re crumb•••••

Materials characteriza4on & leaching
Limited exposure studies
Limited in vitro and in vivo toxicity
studies
Numerous risk assessments– Varia4ons in set of chemicals
considered and assump4ons
about exposure
Limited human health studies– No well-designed epidemiologicalstudy© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell

15

Safer alterna#ve:
Organically or sustainably managed
natural grass athle#c ﬁelds© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell16

Maintenance
Natural grass – building a healthysoil and grass ecosystem:– Aeration– Soil testing– Fertilizers/soil amendments– Compost/addition of beneficial
soil microorganisms– Irrigation– Mowing– Using appropriate grass seed

© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell

Artificial turf:– Fluffing, redistributing, & shock
testing infill– Periodic static control &disinfection of materials;– Seam repairs & infill
replacement– Organic matter removal– Watering to lower temperatures
on hot days

17

Case Studies© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell18

Springﬁeld, MA – organic program since 2014

• Eliminated pes4cide use to help•••

protect Connec4cut River watershed
Maintenance costs, including labor,
just under $1,500 per acre
Fields never shut down during openhours
Game cancella4ons are rare

© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell

Forest Park in Springfield, MA19

© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell20

Martha’s Vineyard, MA••••

Focus on maximizing play 4me with no ﬁeldclosures
Combina4on of established organic
management techniques plus innova4ve
technologies
Core prac4ces: aera4on, soil tes4ng, organic
fer4lizer & soil amendments
Addi4onal techniques: drone photography,
soil moisture mapping© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell

West Tisbury School field in Martha’s Vineyard, MA21

Wide range of maintenance costs and op#ons for grass athle#cﬁelds
Springfield - annual
use of basic organic
methods, purchaseof equipment$1,500/ acre

Basic methods for field
improvement

Martha’s Vineyard fundamental organic
methods plus moreadvanced methods(plus island mark-up)$7,600/ acre

Marblehead - annual
use of basic organic
methods, purchaseof equipment

Grass fields for
professional use$4,100/ acre

© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell22Addi#onal Resources© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell23

Healthy Building Network (HBN): Hazard Spectrum

See: https://homefree.healthybuilding.net/products/70-turf-hazard-spectrum© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell24

For more informa#on, visit:
www.turi.org/ar#ﬁcialturf

TURI’s research on athle4c ﬁelds is
supported by the Heinz Endowments.

© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowell25

The Massachusetts
Toxics Use Reduction
Institute
www.turi.org
126 John Street, Suite 14Boott Mills West
Lowell, MA 01852

Rachel Massey
rachel_massey@uml.edu
Lindsey Pollard
lindsey_pollard@uml.edu© Toxics Use Reduction Institute University of Massachusetts Lowellheadshot26