New artificial turf at Ricebird Stadium lead-free
MARK POOL

Last week the Associated Press ran a story about two athletic fields in New Jersey that were closed after state health officials detected what they said were unexpectedly high levels of lead in the synthetic turf and raised fears that athletes could swallow or inhale the fibers or dust from the playing surface.

The story prompted several inquiries to my office as to whether or not the synthetic turf being installed at Ricebird Stadium would pose similar health risks, and it caused me to do some serious research into this issue.

There are basically two types of materials used to manufacture synthetic turf: Nylon, which is used to manufacture the "old style" Astro Turfs; and polyethylene, which is used to manufacture the newer surfaces like the Real Grass Matrix that is being installed at Ricebird Stadium.

The fields in New Jersey that were closed have the Astro Turf type of synthetic turf. The AP story specifically states that the New Jersey Health Department found no traces of lead in the 10 polyethylene surfaces they examined, and we have confirmed that the company in Austria that manufactures the turf being installed at Ricebird Stadium has guaranteed that there is no lead in their product.

The lead source in question is lead chromate, a chemical used in some turfs to slow the color fading process due to exposure to the sun. Lead chromate is a highly insoluble chemical compound with extremely low bioavailability that is microencapsulated within the nylon fibers. This means that even if the compound were ingested, it is very difficult for the compound to be absorbed within the body and there is no evidence that the lead chromate in the nylon turf poses any health risk.

In fact, OSHA, which maintains extremely high occupational safety standards, requires no protective measures when handling the turf fibers. Additionally, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services concedes in their report that "available evidence suggest that there are no acute health risks due to use of artificial turf fields, and risks due to chronic and repeated exposure are unlikely."

Furthermore, in response to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services closing of these fields, the City of Newark conducted elemental analysis testing using EPA approved protocols on turf fibers from one of the fields in question. A separate independent test, supervised by Dr. Davis Lee, Ph.D. in chemistry with InnovaNet, was also conducted.

Both tests concluded that under EPA approved test conditions, no leaching of heavy metals occurs. In other words the lead chromate can't escape the nylon within which it is encapsulated.

In addition, the City of Newark ordered an air monitoring test which was conducted by Weston solutions at the site during removal of the stadium's nylon turf. The test found no detectable levels of airborne lead or lead chromate during the removal of the synthetic turf surface.

Because of the concern over the fields in New Jersey, the Synthetic Turf Council requested an investigation by Dr. David Black, Ph.D. in forensic toxicology, and Dr. Davis Lee, Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry.

In their joint statement they wrote, "There is no scientific evidence of a health risk for children or adults based on recent test results and current knowledge of the chemical structure of aged synthetic turf products."

Their statement continued, "Reports of health concerns have not been supported by any laboratory analysis on the products or humans that indicate any risk of harm due to potential exposure to chemicals. Studies that have been conducted and made available for our review have not documented that aged synthetic turf products may be a source of lead exposure to anyone in contact with the product."

Finally, it is important to put this into context. Trace amounts of lead are all around us in everyday household products. What's important is ensuring that quantities of lead that might be harmful to health cannot be absorbed into the body. The lead chromate in synthetic turf fibers is encapsulated, and tests confirm that this encapsulation prevents release of the chemical into the human body and the environment.

Regardless, Hellas Construction Company, the company installing the new synthetic turf at Ricebird Stadium, has confirmation from their supplier in Austria that the Real Grass Matrix turf being installed here contains no lead.