Artificial Grass Crumb Rubber Article Situation Analysis

Situation Analysis

Infilled artificial turf is becoming increasingly popular for installation in parks, athletic fields and other settings where natural grass was previously grown. Infilled artificial turf typically consists of a flexible sheet backing and rows of synthetic fibers that represent grass blades and extend up from the upper surface of the backing. Small particles of nonresilient and resilient material are dispersed interstitially between the synthetic fibers to provide ballast and cushioning.

The resilient infill, often referred to as crumb rubber, is usually made of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) made from recycled waste tires, which contains numerous components, some of which are known to be hazardous to people and the environment.

The hazardous components include arsenic, cadmium, chromium, chrysene, fluoranthene, lead, pyrene, vanadium and zinc. Chrysene, fuoranthene and pyrene are three of a group of chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydro- carbons, or PAHs. Depending on exposure levels and individual susceptibility, health effects associated with these chemicals includes birth defects, cancer, and damage to the nervous system and immune system.

In recent months, New York State legislators introduced a new bill (Assembly 9503) that would suspend the installation and use of synthetic turf products that contain crumb rubber derived from waste tires until the New York State health and environmental conservation departments complete a study of the material's potential adverse environmental and public health impacts. The bill also would require that any installation of artificial turf trigger a site-specific environmental assessment under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). In the wake of New York's moratorium, many other states have followed suit with similar legislation that bans the installation of synthetic or artificial turf fields until further research has been completed.