That is why we at USGreentech make safety a top concern for all our products. Envirofill and Safeshell have been crafted to be one of the safest infill solutions for your artificial turf paradise! Unlike many other infill products, our products were created uniquely for artificial turf. Envirofill and Safeshell have been declared non-toxic, nonhazardous making it safe for any synthetic turf installation.
We have gone great lengths to affirm our safety standards through numerous testing and certifications. Our heavy metal testing illustrates our determined effort to deliver a strong safety standard for the synthetic turf industry.
This specification relates to the amount of certain metals that have the potential to be extracted from synthetic turf infill materials if ingested. The time, temperature, and pH of the extraction fluid approximate the conditions the infill material would experience in the stomach during the digestive process.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission? Based on studies I have reviewed and conducted, I believe there is a potential health risk, because of the chemicals in tires, which are recycled into crumbs to support the plastic blades of synthetic grass.
Various pigments are used to provide the green color of the blades. These can include lead or titanium for the white lines and still other metals for school logos on the field. Modern tires are a mixture of natural and synthetic rubber, carbon black — a material made from petroleum — and somewhere between four and 10 gallons of petroleum products. They also contain metals, including cadmium, lead, which is neurotoxic, and zinc. Some of the chemicals in tires, such as dibenzopyrenes, are known carcinogens.
Also, in addition to chemicals used in the manufacture of the tire, any chemical the tires were exposed to in their use can become absorbed on the carbon black in the tires. Even though artificial turf does not have to be mowed, it turns out that crabgrass and other weeds can start growing in it.
To keep its finely manicured appearance, weedkillers need to be applied, a relatively common practice. Unfortunately, a variety of health concerns have been linked to these products. Also, artificial turf is often treated with biocides, as turf has been associated with increased risk of infections from Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA.
MRSA is a dangerous infection because it is resistant to many antibiotics. It can lead to pneumonia, sepsis and bloodstream infections that can prove fatal. An MRSA infection can happen after skin is scraped or cut, which can occur from sliding on artificial turf. Biocides, however, may have toxic effects of their own. And, they may also contribute to increased resistance of bacteria to the efficacy of these agents.
Fields with artificial turf tend to get far hotter than grass fields. Existing research has attempted to measure the risk of exposure to harmful chemicals through the inhalation of gasses and particulate matter, as well as skin contact. Studies have found that crumb rubber fields emit gases that can be inhaled. One study performed by the state of Connecticut measured the concentrations of VOCs and chemicals in the air over fields.
In addition to VOCs such as benzene and methylene chloride, researchers identified various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs. Other studies have looked at whether run-off from crumb rubber turf is harmful to aquatic life, or whether the rate of injury on turf is lower than on natural grass. Few studies have looked at the issues unique to goalkeepers — whether ingesting the particles by mouth or absorbing them into the body through cuts and scrapes is dangerous.
While many studies conclude that the fields studied do not present acute health risks, they often add the caveat that more research should be conducted.
According to Dr. Sinai Hospital, in all these studies, data gaps make it difficult to draw firm conclusions. To look is hard. In , tests performed by New Jersey found lead on three artificial turf fields. The results spurred media coverage and concern across the country. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, the federal agency in charge of regulating consumer products, tested turf samples. While the tests detected lead in the synthetic grass blades, the agency announced that turf was safe to play on.
That same year, an official from a regional EPA office wrote to three agency offices in D. However, sufficient data to quantify toxicological risks from tire crumb exposure are not available. Shortly after, the EPA tested samples from two artificial turf fields and one playground. While the industry cites both studies as evidence that rubber crumb is safe, in response to complaints filed by PEER, both the CPSC and the EPA declared last year that their studies were limited in scope.
Since its initial tests, according to the CPSC, the agency has worked with the industry to develop voluntary standards for lead content. Others across the country say their questions about crumb rubber turf remain unanswered. Some cities have elected to scrap crumb rubber turf in favor of alternative infill. In Maryland, a group called the Safe Healthy Playing Fields Coalition has been organizing against a bill that would allocate state funds to build artificial turf fields.
The group has also been trying to advance legislation that would require warning signs to be placed around artificial turf fields. Early this year, a judge dismissed a suit against the city that alleged the environmental impact report conducted by the city violated California law by failing to disclose the risks associated with turf.
The case is currently being appealed. Those concerned about turf suggest using alternative in-fill for artificial fields, such as coconut fiber and cork, or prohibiting toddlers or other young children from using fields and playgrounds with crumb rubber. An environmental group called the Center for Environmental Health CEH led litigation against several artificial turf companies in California for violations of Proposition 65, a state law that prohibits companies from knowingly exposing consumers to specific chemicals and heavy metals, such as lead, without clear warning.
In a series of settlements, the companies agreed to reduce the amount of lead in their products sold in California and agreed to replace fields under certain conditions. Joel Forman.
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