Artificial turf may be linked to cancer
AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Artificial turf--it's used everywhere. Football fields, soccer stadiums, playgrounds, they all have it-- but many times we don't give this fake grass, or what's in it, too much thought.
"If it wasn't safe they wouldn't have us playing on it, so I guess I trust my school and my principals and my coaches", said Palo Duro High school student, Malik Allen, who plays soccer and football.
Recently though, some have begun questioning its safety. After Amy Griffin, a soccer coach in Washington state compiled a list of around 30 soccer players who have developed rare types of blood cancer, national attention is now on the issue. Griffin says around 22 of those diagnosed, are goalies. She says they're the players who spend the most time diving onto the turf.
Doctors here in Amarillo say they are noticing a trend as well.
"Over the last three decades the cancer rate in children is increasing and it's quite a bit, it's concerning," said Dr. Turner, a pediatric oncologist at Texas Tech.
But Dr. Turner also says we don't know why this is happening. He says most types of blood cancer are linked to genetics, or certain viruses like epstein bar, but that environmental factors could be contributing as well.
"Benzene," he said, has been shown to cause cancer."
Benzene and Butadiene are both volatile organic compounds, or VOC's, and are used in the production of rubber tires. In large enough quantities, they have been linked to various types of leukemia.
It's not the actual artificial turf grass itself that some think is dangerous, but what they use to fill in the grass to make it softer when athletes fall. It's called "crumb rubber", and it's not just found in stadiums, but also children's playgrounds, like Medi-Park in Amarillo.
But, adds Dr. Turner, "it's hard to tell an association vs. being causal."
The EPA has yet to do a rigorous study on this link and refuses to comment to any news outlets, but studies conducted by the California government showed trace amounts of Benzene and Butadiene in the crumb rubber used in artificial turf.
"I think it'd be money well spent to do the studies to look for any possible association with these products and leukemias and lymphomas," said Dr. Turner.
A study done by the California department of resources and recycling says there is added danger for exposure to Benzene when the crumb rubber is exposed to heat, but that it has not been studied thoroughly enough yet.A year ago, almost to the day, the commissioners told residents that their preference was organic infill. See Son of a bitch Just like everything else related to this project, that was a lie. Franklin on organic infill.
My message to the Commission back in February compared the turf project to the tobacco industry. They're required to have warning statements on their ads and products.
I had shared this interview of one of our nation's foremost experts on synthetic turf here on Lebo Citizens. David S Brown, Sc.D. is a public health toxicologist. Artificial Turf Fields: A Troubling Perspective
Two local pediatric groups wrote about toxic turf.
Local pediatric blog writes about tire crumb infill UPDATED
The EPA said that more studies are needed. Have they done any more? NO.
Tomorrow, the commissioners will be discussing the toxic turf project during the Commission Discussion Session. They will be confirming Feller's inappropriate approval of change order number 1 and moving money out of one project to pay for this one, which was "only" to be costing taxpayers $750,000.
With all this said, "This project continues to move forward."
- Kristen Linfante
Fri, Nov 21, 2014 5:39 pm
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