<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=470349196432768&amp;ev=PageView&amp;noscript=1">

NBC Nightly News: Artificial Turf Safety For Soccer Goalies

Artificial Turf Safety for Soccer GoaliesRubber is everywhere in various forms. It is even used as an ingredient in certain chewing gums. The use of crumb rubber as a filler for artificial turf has raised many questions about its safety and what impact it has on the environment. The fact is that rubber plays an important role in your everyday life in many ways you may not even consider. It can be found in several items a person uses throughout the day, from vehicle tires to the seals around the windows in homes and offices.

The crumb rubber used to make the filling for artificial turf mostly comes from car tires. Over the last several decades, over 46 billion tires have been purchased and worn out as cars have traveled the country's highways. Only a small fraction of those tires have found their way back into use as crumb filling. Outside of the production of vehicle tires, this type of rubber is used in several other industries. It is used in different types of construction, including that of highways, sidewalks, buildings and other structures.

Materials

The safety issue that has many people concerned arises from the use of specific organic and non-organic materials that are used in the construction of vehicle tires. Tires are shredded or “crumbed” before being laid down as filler. Many people believe that the shredding processes, expose a much larger surface area than if the tires were left intact. With more of the surface tire area exposed, it is thought that toxic chemicals and substance can leach from the rubber. In reality, tire rubber is tightly compressed to form a durable, impermeable material that must withstand immense amounts of pressure as a vehicle travels down the road. Due to the compressed nature of the material, it is highly unlikely that any substances would be able to leach out of the rubber after crumbling.

Uses

The speculation is that the use of crumb rubber derived from recycled vehicle tires can lead to cancer and other health issues. Crumb rubber has become a cost effective alternative for playgrounds and have proven, through years of study, that they cause minimal health issues. The main difference to be considered is that when used as surface material for playgrounds, children and adults have direct contact with the material. When used as filler for artificial turf, there is minimal contact. In both circumstances, there have been few reports of illness or disease associated with direct contact with crumbed rubber.

After extensive testing, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the Radium Hospital released the following statement “Recycled rubber granulate contains many chemical substances which are potentially harmful to health. On the basis of estimated exposure values and the doses/concentrations which can cause harmful effects in humans or in animal experiments, it is concluded that the use of artificial turf does not cause any elevated health risk. This applies to children, older children, juniors, and adults.”

STC Statement for NBC Nightly News TV Story (Aired October 8th)

Atlanta, GA – Synthetic turf is recognized by schools, parks officials, the NFL, FIFA (soccer), and sports and recreation leagues as a consistent, durable, and safe playing surface year-round, under constant use and in all kinds of weather. As a result, synthetic turf enables a tremendous increase in sports and play activity, and the related social and health benefits for our country and around the world. Furthermore, every year it saves billions of gallons of water, eliminates the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and recycles 25 million used tires.

The Synthetic Turf Council (STC) believes that reliable scientific data should be the foundation of any discussion regarding the safety of synthetic turf with crumb rubber infill. The numerous scientific studies conducted by federal agencies, including the EPA and CPSC, and state departments of health and the environment all validate the human health and environmental safety of synthetic turf and crumb rubber. These studies are available in their entirety on the STC website, www.syntheticturfcouncil.org.

The STC and the synthetic turf industry take the health, safety, and welfare of synthetic turf users very seriously. If an independent agency or testing organization decides to conduct new objective and science-based research on the safety of synthetic turf or crumb rubber, the STC will assist in any way we can.

Don't just take our word for it. Read more about the studies of artificial turf safety

Free Guide: Top 5 Myths About Artificial Turf

Subscribe to Our Blog

Stay up to date on the latest in artificial turf.