New study says recycled rubber infill safe

The Synthetic Turf Council (STC) yesterday highlighted a recently published peer-reviewed study in the journal Environmental Research. The study, a multi-pathway risk assessment of chemicals found within recycled rubber infill, found no elevated public health risk from playing on this material. The full study can be found at this link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935117303936

“This [human health risk assessment’s] results add to the growing body of literature that suggests recycled rubber infill in synthetic turf poses negligible risks to human health. This comprehensive assessment provides data that allow stakeholders to make informed decisions about installing and using these fields.”

Specifically, the study stated the following:

“This comprehensive, multipathway risk assessment demonstrates that the use of synthetic turf fields containing recycled rubber infill would not result in unacceptable risks or hazards to adults or children under US EPA’s risk assessment guidelines.”

“Estimated non-cancer hazards and cancer risks for all the evaluated scenarios were within US EPA guidelines. In addition, cancer risk levels for users of synthetic turf field were comparable to or lower than those associated with natural soil fields.”

“This [human health risk assessment’s] results add to the growing body of literature that suggests recycled rubber infill in synthetic turf poses negligible risks to human health. This comprehensive assessment provides data that allow stakeholders to make informed decisions about installing and using these fields.”

The Environmental Research study evaluated “All available North American data on the chemical composition of recycled rubber, as well as air sampling data collected on or near synthetic turf fields…” Researchers evaluated “Ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation pathways…according to US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) guidance…” and considered “exposure scenarios for adults, adolescents, and children…”

Dan Bond, President and CEO of the Synthetic Turf Council, said, “This study further illustrates what scientific research has consistently shown, that playing on synthetic turf fields with recycled rubber infill poses no greater health risk than natural grass surfaces. This risk assessment aligns with more than 90 other peer-reviewed academic studies, third-party reports and federal and state government analyses that also have not found public health concerns from playing on synthetic turf fields with this material. In just the past 12 months, multiple government agencies, including the Washington State Health Department, Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment and European Chemical Agency have published reports and analyses that have come to a similar conclusion and found no reason to advise people of all ages against playing on synthetic turf fields with recycled rubber infill.”