Artificial turf fields are popular in the U.S. From a maintenance perspective, they are often much preferred to natural grass fields. However, these artificial fields may pose a risk to the children that play on them – something called crumb rubber.
“Artificial turf is often made of fake blades of grass with sand or ground tires used as fill to provide a springy cushion. About 25 million used auto tires are recycled into turf each year, according to Synthetic Turf Council, the Atlanta-based trade group. About 4,500 synthetic turf fields are in use throughout the country.” Source: Associated Press
The filler is known as crumb rubber and may get kicked up during the normal use of the artificial turf. The concern comes if these bits of recycled auto tire end up getting inhaled into a child’s lungs.
For more information, read Phuong Le’s AP article – Synthetic turf fields kicking up safety concerns.
Photo by j_bary
