I was reminded of my very first Right To Know. As it turns out, it was about the lead content in the artificial turf at the high school. Imagine that. Four years later, I am still writing about toxic turf. The analytical report is disturbing. Our children play on this. Relay for Life uses it every year. OMG.
The High School turf was supplied by General Sports Venue. I tried to reach them by phone, but I think they are no longer in business. That is unfortunate, since our Athletic Director John Grogan wrote such a glowing review to the company. In fact, look at what is on page 4 of the company brochure:
AstroTurf’s GameDay Grass all-rubber infill systems are composed of highly durable cryogenic rubber, extracted from post consumer recycled tires by certified recyclers all across the US. These materials have been rigorously tested by the international scientific communities for both environmental and human health hazards and have been found to pose no risks. In fact, the EPA approves the use of post-consumer tires for the purpose of athletic fields. In a typical field, AstroTurf will use up to 12,000 recycled passenger tires.Here is what the EPA is saying now. http://www.epa.gov/nerl/features/tire_crumbs.html It shouldn't even be in our playgrounds!!!
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The AstroTurf at the high school will need repeated antimicrobial treatments due to the standing water caused by poor e-layer drainage. http://www.astroturfusa.com/
Turfaide is an antimicrobial treatment designed to prevent stringy fungus from clogging the drains. It was not designed to kill MRSA. Turfaide needs to be applied every 90 days. According to http://www.antimicrobial.com/products/turfaide/, it takes 240 gallons of the stuff to cover our 72,000 sq. ft. It costs $169.99 for 5 gallons or http://www.centaurmaintenancesupplies.com/newproducts.html $157.99 for 5 gallons
http://www.shopwechem.com/products/turfaide-spc-d__turfaide-spc-d-spc-.aspx
We'll say, at $160 for 5 gallons, it's $32 a gallon. $32 times 240 gallons is $7,680 every 3 months or $30,720 a year.
The FAQ says a specialist needs to apply the product:
http://www.fieldprotect.com/faq.html
Q.Can I apply it myself?Check out this article about Turfaide and MRSA:
A.No. The long-lasting treatments of TurfAide 2 and TurfAide 4 must be applied by Sport Coatings certified applicators due to EPA regulations. However, the entry level maintenance program of TurfD involves training of a local field manager on the proper application technique so that subsequent applications may be self-applied.
William C.H. White, who also happens to be the CEO of AEGIS Environments, which produces the microbe material in TurfAide: "The idea that we are controlling disease organisms, we don't make any claims about that. And we won't. The microbe problems on synthetic fields have to do with biofilms causing sliming and plugging of drainage. They have to do with staining. What we're concerned about are the odors that can be generated both by aerobic and anaerobic organisms within the matrix. These are things that can be avoided to increase the life and functionality of the field."
But is applying anti-microbial products on a field a viable solution?
Hageman isn't so sure. "When it comes to turf, we do not know if that will prevent infection," he said. "There's just no data to support that it prevents infection."
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From: David Reese
Date: July 19, 2010 10:11:10 AM EDT
To: "'John Ewing'","'Dan Goff'"
Subject: RE: California sues Astroturf
I’m breaking my self-imposed rule of ignoring you. Probably Ed Kubit, along with a host of other people, has the same self-imposed rule.
As usual, you go off half-cocked over a subject you know virtually nothing about. Our consultant, Milo George (one of the foremost natural and artificial turf experts in the country), specified the turf properties and appropriate e-layer that best fit the requirements of our athletic programs (in general, a monofilament fiber, all rubber infill, 48 oz. face weight, etc.). Manufacturers bid on the spec, not “Tiger Turf”, A-Turf, Field Turf Duraspine or any other number of “brands”. Our coaches and players seem to be absolutely delighted with the product and are anxious to begin play on it. Maybe you should talk to them, eh?
Oh, and just an FYI: we had the old decrepit turf independently tested for lead content last summer when we were trying to get people to respond to the need for replacement. We had a company from Cranberry test it with a Thermo Scientific Niton XRF Analyzer (the same device companies use to test for lead and other elements in toys, consumer goods, etc), and all of the readings came in between 21 and 40ppm. There is no reason to believe that the new turf would show different results.
Whether or not you choose to believe it, we got a first class product at an incredibly fair price.
Maybe you should devote your valuable time and resources to continued stonewalling of the high school renovation. It seems like everyone but you are happy with the new turf.
DGR
So what IS a safe level for lead? The Consumer Product Safety Commission has ordered an enforcement review of marketing of artificial turf products for children because the agency has found lead levels in artificial sports fields above statutory limits in children’s products. Significantly, there is no safe lead exposure level for children.
The following shows the bidding irregularities on the toxic turf back in 2010.
From Josephine Posti's blog http://jposti.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html:
We will take action on awarding the turf replacement project to the lowest responsible bidder (General Sports Venue) for $406,693. This project was originally estimated to be $750,000. Due to a technical error in the bidding process, we had to re-bid the project, thus action at a public committee meeting.
School Board Approves Turf ReplacementMarch 25, 2010 |
There should be a movement for turf abatement at the high school. It should be removed from our playgrounds. It is toxic, yet our school board, commission, and staff endorse artificial turf and want even more!
Update May 6, 2014 6:39 PM A reader read this post about standing water on the high school stadium turf. Both photos are from the same area, just taken at different angles at the stadium.
