Many Issues Not Considered

I am very disappointed by the information provided in the Recreation Commission Presentation on September 20, 2021. Public Safety Issues were not sufficiently considered:

1. Traffic safety is already an issue anytime there is an event at EIS or Kehler Stadium. No mention of what will be done to study and mitigate the additional traffic associated with a multipurpose field at Edison. There is only an offhand remark: ”Would not be comfortable recommending or supporting any proposal that increases pedestrian or traffic safety risks.”

2. Field lights will also bring additional night-time traffic which will further exacerbate this bad traffic situation.

Artificial Turf Health and Safety Issues were not fully evaluated and considered:

1. The presentation cited a 2010 study and a 2013 study (both unreferenced) that showed higher injury rate on grass than on turf. However, the majority of reports that I have read showed a higher injury rate on artificial turf. Two of the most relevant studies are:

1. The University Health Sports Medicine Institute Study on HS athletes which showed a 58% higher injury rate for HS athletes.

12. The Scandinavian Journal for Medicine and Science study which showed a 39% higher injury rate for youth aged 7-12.

2. The presentation referenced a BMJ study that indicated a decreased incidence of head injury and concussion when contact sports are played on artificial turf. However, The National Center for Health Research study found artificial turf caused more frequent and more severe head injuries and concussions.

3. Other issues such as heat stress (heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and dehydration), blistering of hands and feet, and turf burn and associated staph infection were not addressed

4. Hazards related to chemical exposure were dismissed since there was no definitive proof that artificial turf is unsafe. There is also no definitive proof that artificial turf is safe. In fact, there is mounting evidence than artificial turf may pose a health hazard.

1. A McGill University Study showed that the toxic leachate from artificial turf crumb rubber infill impairs the early development of chicken, notably the brain and cardiovascular system.

1. Artificial turf and the crumb rubber infill are known to contain toxic and carcinogenic materials including heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PFAs (Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances), volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, phthalates and amines. The crumb rubber pellets will be tracked into our schools, cars, homes, etc. What safety precautions will be taken to address this? We should heed the advice of health experts and consider artificial turf hazardous until it is proven safe as is recommended in the Mount Sinai position paper.

Environmental Issues were not considered or were dismissed as being inconclusive.  

1. Westfield prides itself as being green. Replacing natural grass with artificial turf is not green.

1. Artificial turf creates a heat island. This has a negative impact locally (heat stress, toxic degassing of volatile organic compounds) and globally (contributes to global warming).

1. Leaching and soil contamination are major issues with artificial turf: Environmental Human Health, Inc. analyzed data from several studies:

1. Zinc levels were high enough to pose risks to aquatic life, and many showed zinc levels above the EPA safety levels for fresh water.

1. Researchers identified 12 chemicals, gases and metals, including carcinogens, in concentrations that exceed Italian soil quality guidelines for residential areas. In this group, levels of benzene, toluene and benzo(a)anthracene exceeded Italian soil quality guidelines for industrial areas.

iii. Some fields contained contaminants, especially zinc and benzo(a)pyrene, in concentrations well above Italian and New York state soil safety standards. Zinc was found in all 13 fields sampled, and levels of zinc and benzo(a)pyrene were found at up to 100 times the Italian soil safety standards. In one field, the sum of PCBs was 1000 times the Italian soil safety standard.

1. Some fields contained contaminants, especially zinc and benzo(a)pyrene, in concentrations well above Italian and New York state soil safety standards. Zinc was found in all 13 fields sampled, and levels of zinc and benzo(a)pyrene were found at up to 100 times the Italian soil safety standards. In one field, the sum of PCBs was 1000 times the Italian soil safety standard.

1. Lead was found in all of the fields—in one crumb rubber field, the level was three times Italy’s soil quality guideline for residential use. All the artificial turf fields contained lead, with one artificial field well above recommended levels

2. End of Life Artificial Turf Disposal was not addressed. End of life artificial turf:
3. Will be difficult and expensive to remove
4. Will be expensive to landfill
5. Will take a long time to breakdown
6. Will release carcinogens and toxins as it degrades

An evaluation of natural grass as an alternative to artificial turf was requested but was not done. TURI (Toxics Use Reduction Institute) has identified organically managed natural grass as a safer alternative for sports surfaces. The health and safety of our community and our environment should be a major consideration of this project. Unfortunately, the parallels between government regulations and industry on artificial turf and asbestos and cigarettes are not surprising. The government will refuse to regulate until there is overwhelming data and public pressure to do so. The industry will try to diffuse data with misleading propaganda. It took the government approximately 40 years to impose needed regulations on asbestos and tobacco despite early evidence of health hazards. We should learn from history and heed the advice of health experts who say that artificial turf should be considered hazardous until it is proven safe. We should not sacrifice health, safety and the environment for the sake of convenience and expediency. A more thorough evaluation of the natural grass alternative, as requested in the feedback meetings, should be done before a decision is made to proceed with a project that includes artificial turf that could prove to be hazardous to the health of the community and the environment. We should also include in this study the upgrade of other fields with well managed natural grass as a method of increasing field capacity. Sincerely, Norm Yang