Artificial turf may be linked to cancer, serious illness

Over the summer, Californians were urged to replace their grass with artificial turf or other drought tolerant landscaping. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), the largest water wholesaler in the state, launched a $360 million program for Southern California residents to remove their grass. Through this program, residents would receive rebates for their water conservation efforts.

Now, it has come to light that crumb rubber turf, made from old ground up tires, may cause health risks for those who are exposed to it for long periods of time, including children.

Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote a letter to the Product Safety Commission in early November stating their concerns. According to the Democratic senators, crumb rubber turf is used, especially in sports parks and at schools, yet little is known about the health implications of the exposure.

“Even though crumb rubber sport and play surfaces are widely played on, little is known about their risks to health and safety – especially to vulnerable populations, like toddlers with frequent hand-to-mouth actions, and to participants with especially high exposure, such as soccer goalies, who come in frequent contact with the rubber infill on synthetic turfs,” the initial letter reads.

Earlier this month, both senators also submitted a letter to President Obama, urging him to launch a federal study on the potential health risks caused by crumb rubber turf.

Earlier this week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission took up the senators’ request. The commission will be doing a multi-federal agency investigation.

“The bottom line is that the federal government needs to do all that it can to determine whether crumb rubber turf poses a health risk,” Senator Nelson said.