April 10, 2024 Today I will talk about Chemicals and Heavy Metals in Artificial Turf, Playgrounds, and Neighborhood Lawns: Policies vs. Scientific Evidence. I’m Dr. Diana Zuckerman and I’m president of the National Center for Health Research. Our nonprofit research center and think tank is staffed by scientists, medical professionals, and public health experts. We […]
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April 10, 2024
Today I will talk about Chemicals and Heavy Metals in Artificial Turf, Playgrounds, and Neighborhood Lawns: Policies vs. Scientific Evidence.
I’m Dr. Diana Zuckerman and I’m president of the National Center for Health Research. Our nonprofit research center and think tank is staffed by scientists, medical professionals, and public health experts. We conduct and explain research that can improve the health and safety of adults and children. We do not accept funding from companies whose products we evaluate, so we have no conflicts of interest.
Artificial turf and rubber tiles, mulch, and rubber playground surfaces contain lead, PFAS and other risky hormone-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and heavy metals. Crumb rubber is used for turf infill and rubber mulch and tiles and contain lead and EDCs. When we look at the beautiful rubber playground surfaces, such as the one pictured here, they look very inviting. They feel spongy and that seems especially safe when small children fall. But what happens when children are exposed day after day, week after week, and year after year? This is especially true for playgrounds used daily by daycare centers and elementary schools.
Some playground surfaces are covered with recycled tire mulch or “virgin rubber.” contain lead? They vary in color. None are tested for metals or chemicals before they are sold.
Poured in Place (PIP) is a very popular type of surface for playgrounds, and consists of what looks like a solid rubber surface, but underneath the surface is recycled tire mulch. Sometimes the top surface may be virgin rubber, but sometimes it is also made of recycled tire mulch. Testing has shown chemicals and heavy metals, even in dust on the surface.
Rubber playground surfaces contain hormone-disrupting chemicals that can cause or exacerbate:
These photos show what happens to these very attractive rubber surfaces after a few years. The rubber surfaces deteriorate, especially where children are most active. Some examples are at the foot of a slide, where children land when they go down the slide. But the top layer also wears off in other areas where children play or when the top layer cracks due to the weather. The black you see is recycled tire mulch. I’m not sure what the gray color on the ground is – probably the tire mulch washed away and left the hard surface underneath.
What’s below the rubber surface? Recycled tire mulch can be on the top layer of a playground surface or just below the top PIP (poured in place) solid layer. You can see that in these close-up photos. The surface on the left is made of pieces of rubber of different colors, whereas the top layer surface on the right looks orange from a distance but is actually from pieces of rubber that are yellow and red. But look at what is under the surface. The black is recycled rubber mulch. It looks a bit like licorice. You can also see some color pieces of rubber that are mixed in with the black. That looks like candy. And small children like to play with it, and put it in their mouths.
From the ground into the air
When lead dust is found on the surface of playgrounds, officials often try to solve the problem by power washing the dust off the surface. But where does the lead dust go when it is washed away? The lead goes onto the dirt and sometimes into streams and ground water. And of course, new lead dust will form on the surface after the previous dust is washed off.
In this photo you can see black specks which is tire crumb used as infill in an artificial turf field. Did any of you watch the Superbowl this year? That field used artificial turf, and although the plastic grass was nice and green, you could see black areas where the tire crumb infill was very visible. And you could also see some of that infill flying around the feet of the players during the game.
Whether we’re talking about playgrounds or artificial turf fields, children and athletes breathe in the lead, chemicals, and particulate matter when they play. And small children eat pieces.
In a study of aerosolized particulate matter from artificial turf, a University of Georgia faculty member found particulate matter that contained arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and lead.1
Safety Tests
This photo of a new playground in Maryland shows the surface is made of recycled tire crumb that was dyed green. Given the chances of tire pieces containing lead ending up in children’s clothes, on their hands, and in their mouths, this is probably the most unsafe playground possible.
No tests on human health were conducted prior to this product getting on the market. Fortunately, several of us were invited by families in that community to speak at their town forum, and I’m glad to say that all these playground surfaces were replaced with a safe alternative called engineered wood fiber. But meanwhile, we learned that there is a playground at NIH where very sick children play – kids that are so sick that they are undergoing treatment at NIH – that were also made with loose tire crumb similar to this.
U.S. government agencies restrict lead and some phthalates in numerous other children’s products. Agencies are starting to restrict PFAS. But these substances, VOCs, and other heavy metals are not restricted in artificial turf, rubber tiles, mulch, or playgrounds.
Here’s a sign that the D.C. government put up at artificial turf fields using recycled tire mulch as an infill. It’s in English and Spanish. If only toddlers could read!
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has warnings on their website that says:
These are very clear and important warnings, but how realistic are they. Will busy parents and caregivers of young children really immediately wash children’s clothes and toys after going to a playground?
Another issue is how hot artificial turf and playgrounds covered with rubber can get. You can see from this photo that on a warm and sunny day in the Washington, DC area, when the air and grass were about 90 degrees, the artificial turf and playground were 180 degrees! That is unusually hot, but I’ve frequently measured temperatures of 150 or 160 degrees when the air is less hot or the weather is less sunny, which is also dangerously hot.
Where does tire mulch infill go when it rains? Or when they can no longer be used?
In this photo, a heavy rain caused the recycled tire infill to wash off the artificial turf field onto other play areas nearby. I’m glad to say that the father who took this photo got his kids off the tire crumb right after the photo was taken. But this gives you an idea of how much tire mulch infill there is, and it has to go somewhere. And it can’t be recycled, and in many cases it eventually gets into streams and ground water. And by the way, when the infill washes off like this, the entire artificial turf field has to be replaced. They can’t just replace the infill that has washed off. Since these fields cost about $2 million dollars, this is a very expensive problem, because the fields don’t last 10 years as is often promised.
The companies claim that the old synthetic turf and tire crumb are recycled, but most of these materials can’t be recycled. As you can see, it often ends up in a dumpster, and from there to a landfill. They still contain lead and toxic chemicals.
In this photo, you can see floor tiles made of recycled rubber, which are also widely available at Home Depot and other stores. They are proudly described as recycled rubber and therefore environmentally friendly, but if you want to find out that they are made of recycled tires you need to check the manufacturers’ websites to find that information. I don’t mean to pick on Home Depot – I mention it because these stores are in communities across the country. We are especially concerned about these tiles when used in daycare centers, playrooms, exercise rooms, or basements, because those rooms may have no windows or windows that are not usually opened.
Engineered wood fiber, which is what is shown in this photo, feels as spongy as rubber when installed correctly on playgrounds and has no lead or any other dangerous chemicals. It does not cause splinters, even though it is wood. And it is ADA compliant. Here’s a photo of a playground covered with engineered wood fiber.
1. Shalat, S.L. (2011). An Evaluation of Potential Exposures to Lead and Other Metals as the Result of Aerosolized Particulate Matter from Artificial Turf Playing Fields, Final Report. Submitted to NJ Department of Environmental Protection, July 14, 2011. https://www.nj.gov/dep/dsr/
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