There have been repeated questions about the safety of rubber mulch for playground cover or synthetic turf fields. That’s despite studies that show no elevated health risks for children or adults due to these surfaces.

Recently another study confirmed this. On July 30, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced a new study of the risks to children and adults playing on synthetic turf fields containing crumb rubber infill also presents no elevated health risks.

This validates conclusions from recent studies done by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other governmental agencies, including the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health, the New York City Department of Health, and the California EPA.

The study provides valuable guidance to municipalities, schools and others who operate or are considering installing artificial playing fields.”

Four state agencies – the University of Connecticut Health Center, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, the Department of Public Health and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) – collaborated on the study. Nine scientists from the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering (CASE) were asked to review the study and issue its own report.

Key points from major findings of the study:

• “Outdoor and indoor artificial turf fields are not associated with elevated health risks from the inhalation of volatile or particle bound chemicals.”

• The readings at the indoor field (in a building with a broken exhaust system) showed higher levels of chemical emissions, but, as noted above, below levels of concern. The DEP recommends ventilation of indoor fields.

• The Department of Environmental Protection evaluated the environmental risk associated with storm water runoff from the artificial turf fields tested in the air study. They concluded there is no risk to drinking water from this runoff, but a potential risk exists for surface waters and aquatic organisms.

“In over 40 years of EPA oversight and OSHA regulated manufacturing, there has never been an instance of illness attributed to synthetic turf. This study and numerous others validate the long-term human health and environmental safety of synthetic turf systems,” said Rick Doyle, president of the Synthetic Turf Council.

The Connecticut study can be viewed at www.ct.gov/dep/artificialturf.

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