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EPA study of synthetic turf and crumb rubber finds 'low level of concern'
17 Dec, 2009 LDB SolutionsLast week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the results of a scoping study of the health risks from inhalation, ingestion and dermal contact with synthetic turf and crumb rubber. Crumb rubber is used in playgrounds, as mulch and in paving projects. The EPA concluded that "concentrations of components monitored in this study were below levels of concern."
The study further validates the statements of safety by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and other governmental agencies, including the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York City Department of Health, and the California EPA in recent studies.
Industry stakeholders are applauding the report.
"The EPA is the latest agency to come to the same conclusion: Crumb rubber used in artificial turf or as a playground surface poses no significant health or environmental risk," said Jeffrey Kendall, chairman and CEO of Liberty Tire Recycling. "At Liberty Tire Recycling, we have been very concerned by recent headlines suggesting the opposite is true. Parents, business owners, public policy makers and elected officials deserve to know the facts, and they now have the facts from the authority on these matters."
But this study isn't the final word on the subject.
"The limited data EPA collected during this study, which do not point to a concern, represent an important addition to the information gathered by various government agencies," said Peter Grevatt, director of EPA's Office of Children's Health Protection. "The study will help set the stage for a meeting this spring, where EPA will bring together officials from states and federal agencies to evaluate the existing body of science on this topic and determine what additional steps should be taken to ensure the safety of kids who play on these surfaces."
Study findings include:
- Particulate matter, metals and volatile organic compound concentrations were measured in the air samples and compared with areas away from the turf fields (background levels). The levels found in air samples from the artificial turf were similar to background levels.
- No tire-related fibers were observed in the air samples.
- All air concentrations of particulate matter and lead were well below levels of concern.
- More than 90 percent of the lead in the tire crumb material was tightly bound and unavailable for absorption by users of the turf fields.
- Zinc, which is a known additive in tires, was found in tire crumb samples. However, air and surface wipe monitoring levels of zinc were found to be below levels of concern.
The EPA's news release can be viewed here, and the full study is accessible at www.epa.gov. Visit www.syntheticturfcouncil.org for the CPSC's statement and a full list of studies, reports and official position statements.
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