How Safe Is the Artificial Turf Your Child Plays On?

BY HANNAH RAPPLEYE

Soccer coach Amy Griffin was in a Seattle hospital visiting a young goalie who was receiving chemotherapy when a nurse said something that made the hair on Griffin’s neck stand up.

It was 2009. Two young female goalies Griffin knew had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Griffin, associate head coach for the University of Washington’s women’s soccer team, had started to visit the women and other athletes in local hospitals, helping them pass the time during chemo with war stories from her three decades of coaching.

That day, the nurse looked down at the woman Griffin was sitting with and said, "Don't tell me you guys are goalkeepers. You're the fourth goalkeeper I've hooked up this week."

Artificial turf fields are now everywhere in the United States, from high schools to multi-million-dollar athletic complexes. As any parent or player who has been on them can testify, the tiny black rubber crumbs of which the fields are made -- chunks of old tires -- get everywhere. In players’ uniforms, in their hair, in their cleats.

But for goalkeepers, whose bodies are in constant contact with the turf, it can be far worse. In practices and games, they make hundreds of dives, and each plunge sends a black cloud of tire pellets into the air. The granules get into their cuts and scrapes, and into their mouths. Griffin wondered if those crumbs – which have been known to contain carcinogens and chemicals – were making players sick.

“I’ve coached for 26, 27 years,” she said. “My first 15 years, I never heard anything about this. All of a sudden it seems to be a stream of kids.”

Since then, Griffin has compiled a list of 38 American soccer players -- 34 of them goalies – who have been diagnosed with cancer. At least a dozen played in Washington, but the geographic spread is nationwide. Blood cancers like lymphoma and leukemia dominate the list.

Read more...

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/how-safe-artificial-turf-your-child-plays-n220166

Stupidity causes way more cancer than turf fields. We need to eradicate stupidity. That may have ominous consequences for you.

turf has xylene, acetone, and styrene?

acetone---not carcinogenic

styrene---is carcinogenic

xylene---suspected of being carcinogenic



so one yes, one no, one maybe?

How much did FFX Co spend on turf fields?

Big expose on several news channels tonight.

Ground up tires may be to blame.

Benzine, Arsenic, Cadmium, and anything added to rubber tire formulas made in China, Korea and elsewhere.

How about we make some FCPS administrative office carpets and desks from the same material if they are so invested in the product.

Styrene is not classified as a carcinogen. It is (newly) classified as a "reasonably anticipated human carcinogen". This means that there are reasons to believe that styrene will eventually be shown to be a carcinogen, not that it has been. The POSSIBLE carcinogenic properties of styrene are meanwhile associated with LIFETIME exposures to higher than established maximum levels of contamination.

People are of course surrounded by styrofoam -- as a packing material, in building insulation, and in food containers -- from those trays at the bottom of supermarket ground beef packages to all those lovely white carry-out cups. Particularly if they contain hot liquids, these products provide much higher levels of exposure to styrene than do turf athletic fields.

None of this of course in any way diminishes anyone's right to become a styrene-paranoid nutcase.

Dr. Kevorkian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Big expose on several news channels tonight.
>
> Ground up tires may be to blame.
>
> Benzine, Arsenic, Cadmium, and anything added to
> rubber tire formulas made in China, Korea and
> elsewhere.
>
> How about we make some FCPS administrative office
> carpets and desks from the same material if they
> are so invested in the product.

If Chinese factories put coal fly ash in drywall for homes, melamine in baby formula for babies to consume I can only imagine what they may add to a rubber mixture for something they thought would only be on a car.

We grind them into a near powder throw it onto some plastic grass and then throw our students and athletes on top of that to suck it in everytime they exercise, block a kick or get tackled.

Formula for problems.

Lets see what the science says.

I think the county has about 70 fields now, more than any other county into us.

Yep per, we have money to burn here in fairfax.

They cost what? $700,000? Maybe more, and they last about 7 years.

Do the math.

I bet when all those hemicals are nice and hot in th summer, they are even more toxic.

Just read about why you're. No supposed to drink out of plastic water bottles left in you car.

This is an inside job

It's an EPIDEMIC! BAN SOCCERNOW!

It's only taxpayer money. Fuck it!

When "studies" like these hit lots of news outlets at the same time, it's because an organization has hired a consultant to get their message out. In this case, the message is, give us more money to study the issue.

I hope the grant issuers don't bite at this apple.

^There's nothing unusual about that. It's how science gets funded. It is in the public interest to fund stuff like this you know. Obviously it's not in the interest of the private sector. It's a good thing to prevent illness, right? Unless you make money off of sick people.

Notice that the government is sending the money to Africa right now. This is how things work. Private sector ain't gonna do that. It's why we pay taxes.

Something tells me this is going to be the end of more than a few FCPS careers…

Good thing fairfax rushed to get our fields in everywhere before waiting for the data.

Montgomery county has maybe 10 turf fields, mostly paid for privately.

What a waste.

Women's world cup refuses to play on it. I wonder why?

What is the cancer rate of college and NFL football players? They have been playing on turf for decades. I'm not buying it.

The fact that some people who have cancer also played on turf fields means exactly nothing. They all ate tomatoes at some point as well. Only addicts and the really stupid end up hyperventilating over every Tom, Dick, and Harry scare story that comes along. Most of you people should be committed.

newgatedenizen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What is the cancer rate of college and NFL
> football players? They have been playing on turf
> for decades. I'm not buying it.

It's about 23%. This much higher than the national average of about 7%.

Fairfax will try to raise taxes to pay for remediation of the cancerous turf fields or to go back to grass.

Who knows, Sharon Bulova may try the meals tax again!

More liberal policies killing children across America.

They just had to have those fields, the Turf Task Force endorsed them and said we'd all benefit. Oops.

Used tires full of brake dust and every chemical known to man in them seemed like a perfect alternative to grass. Only to a liberal would a man made, artificial product be considered over something natural.

But hey, those assholes on the school board got a $10,000 raise! They deserve it! They are giving cancer to children. It's the liberal way!

more FCPS waste Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> They just had to have those fields, the Turf Task
> Force endorsed them and said we'd all benefit.
> Oops.

If you write something that is incorrect, you can always use the backspace key. There is no need to write "Oops" and leave your erroneous posts as they are.

lib, lib, lib, lib Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> More liberal policies killing children across
> America.

Putting artificial turf on a field is a "policy"? So, when the Republican parents in McLean raised hundreds of thousands for a field, that was a "liberal policy"?

indifference to the truth Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> lib, lib, lib, lib Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > More liberal policies killing children across
> > America.
>
> Putting artificial turf on a field is a "policy"?
> So, when the Republican parents in McLean raised
> hundreds of thousands for a field, that was a
> "liberal policy"?


Presidential Elections Results for Mclean, VA


2012 Presidential Elections Results
Obama (57%) Romney(41%)Other (2%)

and historically voted democrat. Not a surprise as democrats favor the rich and are the party of elitist, power hungry pigs that don't give a shit about America.

It's not a secret that liberals hate this country. Just admit it like many others on this site have already done. Acknowledge your hate for America.

try try again Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> more FCPS waste Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > They just had to have those fields, the Turf
> Task
> > Force endorsed them and said we'd all benefit.
> > Oops.
>
> If you write something that is incorrect, you can
> always use the backspace key. There is no need to
> write "Oops" and leave your erroneous posts as
> they are.

Here's the Joint Task Force on Turf Fields' recommendation. Now this problem appears…how could they have missed such a thing?
Attachments:

Rip up that new turf! Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How Safe Is the Artificial Turf Your Child Plays
> On?
>
> BY HANNAH RAPPLEYE
>
> Soccer coach Amy Griffin was in a Seattle hospital
> visiting a young goalie who was receiving
> chemotherapy when a nurse said something that made
> the hair on Griffin’s neck stand up.
>
> It was 2009. Two young female goalies Griffin knew
> had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
> Griffin, associate head coach for the University
> of Washington’s women’s soccer team, had
> started to visit the women and other athletes in
> local hospitals, helping them pass the time during
> chemo with war stories from her three decades of
> coaching.
>
> That day, the nurse looked down at the woman
> Griffin was sitting with and said, "Don't tell me
> you guys are goalkeepers. You're the fourth
> goalkeeper I've hooked up this week."
>
> Artificial turf fields are now everywhere in the
> United States, from high schools to
> multi-million-dollar athletic complexes. As any
> parent or player who has been on them can testify,
> the tiny black rubber crumbs of which the fields
> are made -- chunks of old tires -- get everywhere.
> In players’ uniforms, in their hair, in their
> cleats.
>
> But for goalkeepers, whose bodies are in constant
> contact with the turf, it can be far worse. In
> practices and games, they make hundreds of dives,
> and each plunge sends a black cloud of tire
> pellets into the air. The granules get into their
> cuts and scrapes, and into their mouths. Griffin
> wondered if those crumbs – which have been known
> to contain carcinogens and chemicals – were
> making players sick.
>
> “I’ve coached for 26, 27 years,” she said.
> “My first 15 years, I never heard anything about
> this. All of a sudden it seems to be a stream of
> kids.”
>
> Since then, Griffin has compiled a list of 38
> American soccer players -- 34 of them goalies –
> who have been diagnosed with cancer. At least a
> dozen played in Washington, but the geographic
> spread is nationwide. Blood cancers like lymphoma
> and leukemia dominate the list.
>
> Read more...
>
> http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/how-saf
> e-artificial-turf-your-child-plays-n220166

Did you get this from The Onion?

it's true recycling tires began with public news no one wanted them because they are toxic (meaning - use a base for mulching around trees was ok)

it's not true that contact with it will kill enough cells to "heighten one's danger of getting cancer"

but mandatory yearly dental will - assuming the x-ray equipment might not be adjusted properly and have more x-rays than advertised

and we all know the truth in advertising

sp: dentists in fx co va are saying x-rays yearly are MANDATORY or they will refuse to "work" on you: mandatory xrays was left out of the above

i worked changing tires when i was a kid

not only was dust everywhere. allot of dust was from road (never washed like fake turf is)

allot of the dust might be lead dust in VERY LARGE QUANTITY

which is why old mechanics always say not to stir up the dust or clean - and not to breath any of it in

that reminds me: fx co go "bought" $2 million of fake turf for a "park" field. next think you know a local retailer is sellign (the same?) fake turf for installation at homes and businesses. gee wonder where they got their supply? maybe stolen off the fx co gov job !!

Common sense - who would grind up old tires and send their kids out to play in the pile? Its no surprise that you grind up old rubber, let it bake and break down in the sun 365 days a year and tell young people to dive into it with bare skin. I mean this doesnt sound like the best idea in the world to me.

I never liked getting those little pellets in my eyes ears and mouth. It always seemed 'artificial.' Oh and to all the chem industry apologists screw you. Petro chemicals not proven to be carcinogenic just means that studies have not been made or have not broken through the $$$ of the petro chem industry. If you feel those subs are so safe go eat a bucket of that shit yourself.

What a wonderful school system we have. Some kids have to study in trailers with no bathrooms, but the football playing elite get these state of the art turf fields.

And now, FCPS cries for yet more money? They need a dose of reality therapy. It will be given to them by the NEW school board, after McElveen and the rest are sent packing in the upcoming election.

Ryan McElveen does NOT want you to read this article:

http://ecowatch.com/2014/02/10/children-and-toxic-turf/