Artificial turf target of legal action
By Suzanne Bohan
Oakland Tribune
Article Launched: 06/23/2008 07:27:19 PM PDT


Artificial turf joins a growing list of products under fire for harboring lead levels in excess of California state standards.

The Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health filed a legal action with the state on Monday demanding that 15 retailers and manufacturers cease selling and producing artificial turf containing lead — a potent neurotoxin. The turf is typically used on athletic playing fields and as indoor/outdoor grass carpet. The center is also demanding a recall of lead-containing turf and posted warnings where the product is sold.

The center conducted tests of more than 50 samples of artificial turf obtained from a variety of outlets, including Home Depot, Ace Hardware Corp., Orchard Supply Hardware and Lowe's Companies, as well as carpet retailers and Bay Area turf installers.

In one third of the samples, they found lead levels high enough to potentially exceed the state's upper limit of 0.5 micrograms per day of lead exposure. People ingest lead through hand-to-mouth contact, or through skin contact with the turf or dust from it.

"Parents see their kids playing on artificial turf and they expect the turf to be safe," said Michael Green, executive director of the Center for Environmental Health. "But we found that artificial grass and turf can pose a real health threat to children. You may not have to mow it or water it, but unfortunately you do have to test it for lead."

This latest legal action by the

center, filed under the state's strict toxic substances exposure law, called Proposition 65, follows its successful campaigns to reduce lead levels in lunch boxes, jewelry, candy, children's medicines and wood play equipment.

The environmental group's legal step also follows the spring launch of a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission investigation into the health risks of lead in synthetic turf. The results are expected by the end of July, according to Julie Vallese, director of the Office of Public Affairs at the commission.

But the investigation shouldn't trigger alarm, she said.

"When the Consumer Product Safety Commission opens an investigation, it sends no message either way," Vallese said. "It's a fact-finding mission to find out if there's a problem and a need for action." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, did express concern about the health risks of artificial turf, particularly older turf, in a June 18 health advisory it issued.

In May, the California Senate also passed a bill sponsored by Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, calling for a state investigation into the health and environmental effects of natural versus synthetic turf fields. The bill, SB 1277, next heads to the Assembly.

The issue came to light one year ago, as New Jersey health officials were investigating the possible contamination at a playing field by runoff from a nearby scrap metal plant in Newark. To their surprise, they found high lead levels in the artificial turf itself, and dust from the field.

New Jersey authorities then tested other synthetic turf fields, and found elevated lead levels at three recreation fields and in two turf products marketed for home use. Two of the fields were voluntarily closed, and the turf was replaced at the third.

The legal action and federal investigation come at a time of rising popularity of artificial turf. There are more than 3,500 synthetic playing fields across the country, and 800 more built each year, according to the industry's Synthetic Turf Council. About half of National Football League teams play on synthetic turf, it added.

The council points out that while natural turf can require tens of thousands of gallons of water for irrigation each week, along with large quantities of fertilizers and pesticides, artificial turf requires far less maintenance. It can also be used in all weather, without risk of harming wet fields with soil compaction or other damage.

Assertions that synthetic turf poses a health risk elicited a vigorous response by the council. It's Web site, at www.syntheticturfcouncil.org, lists studies that the organization states demonstrate the safety of artificial turf containing lead.

Shira Miller, spokeswoman for the organization, stressed that the products contain chromate lead, which creates long-lasting green pigment in the artificial grass.

"Lead chromate is not like the regular lead you would get from paint," she explained. "It's encapsulated to reduce any aspect of bioavailability." Bioavailability refers to the ability of a substance, like lead, to become biologically active when it's ingested, absorbed or inhaled.

Health experts take seriously the health effects of lead exposure, particularly in children. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than 300,000 U.S. children have elevated blood levels of lead. It harms the nervous system, and studies show it can also impair the immune system. Excess lead exposure in children is linked to lowered IQ and test scores, memory problems, hyperactivity and behavioral problems, including juvenile delinquency. In adults, it's associated with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and kidney failure in those with chronic kidney disease, as well as with Lou Gehrig's disease.

Caroline Cox, research director with the Center for Environmental Health, said while chromate lead does encapsulate the metal, the center's testing found some still does break out.

"It's true that not all was bioavailable," Cox said. "But about 20 percent of it was. So even if only a fraction of what you ingest is bioavailable, that's still a problem."

In its June 18 health advisory, the CDC noted that older turf, worn down from use, poses a greater risk than new turf.

In newer turf, "the turf fibers are still intact and the lead is unlikely to be available for harmful exposure to occur," the advisory stated. "As the turf ages and weathers, lead is released in dust that could then be ingested or inhaled, and the risk for harmful exposure increases."

To avoid exposure to lead, the CDC advises washing hands and clothing after playing on artificial turf. The agency also suggests sitting on a towel or blanket in a vehicle after exposure to the turf, to prevent spreading potentially contaminated dust. It also advises against eating while on synthetic turf, or drinking from containers left open on or near the field.

Cox advised testing artificial turf, and replacing any found to contain lead with varieties that don't contain the heavy metal. About two-thirds of the samples the center tested contained no detectable levels, she emphasized.

"Manufacturers know how to make it without lead," Cox said. "They just haven't had a reason not to. I think they'll have a reason now."

Reach Suzanne Bohan at sbohan@bayareanewsgroup.com or 650-348-4324


TESTING TURF FOR LEAD
The Center for Environmental Health will test for lead in artificial turf, at no charge. Send samples to:
THE Center for Environmental Health
528 61st Street, Suite A
Oakland, CA 94609
Include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address. Information about the turf -- where purchased, brand name, etc., is helpful. Send a sample up to eight square inches in size, although smaller sample sizes will suffice. You should receive a response within two weeks. Contact the center at (510) 594-9864 for additional questions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also suggests that facilities managers wishing to test artificial turf for lead contact their local or state health or environmental departments.

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