No turf worries?
By LEE PROCIDA
The Cherry Hill Sun
5/10/2008

Despite recent findings, local turf fields pose no risk to area residents, according to township

In the beginning of April, news broke that two synthetic fields in North Jersey were closed due to traces of lead found in the fibers that made up the fields. Those findings created a media flurry and prompted investigations by the Department of Health and Senior Services and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission into whether the lead could enter the human body and cause harm.

The DHSS will release the results of its study sometime this month, but athletes using the synthetic turf fields in Cherry Hill should not be alarmed by these reports, officials said. There are many kinds of synthetic turf fields, and the ones in the township are dissimilar to the ones at the closed fields. All the fields that tested positive for lead – Lions Stadium at the College of New Jersey, Frank Sinatra Field in Hoboken and another field in Newark that was tested last fall – were made with nylon fibers, which used lead chromate as a preservative for the fibers’ color.

Ten other fields were tested as well but had nearly undetectable levels of lead, and all of these were made with polyethylene fibers. Several townships in the area have fields made with the polyethylene fibers, including Medford, Voorhees, Moorestown and Washington Township.

What the DHSS study will seek to find is if the contaminated fields pose a health risk anyway, officials said.

Lead is permanently harmful to humans, especially for children, but that is only true if it is absorbed into the body.

The state does not have standards for lead levels in nylon fibers, but the fields did have higher lead levels than are allowable in soil. However, while lead in soil can be absorbed into the body, the scientists involved do not know if the lead can be chemically absorbed from the nylon fibers into the body.

FieldTurf Tarkett manufactured and installed all the fields in Cherry Hill, and like the fields it installed in several other townships and school districts throughout the area, the fibers used are polyethylene and lead-free. Dan Keashen, spokesman for Mayor Bernie Platt, said this is one of the reasons the township chose that brand of field.

“We chose FieldTurf specifically because we felt it was far and away the best product on the market,” he said. “When it was brought to our attention that this investigation was underway, we spoke to the vendor and the state, and all our concerns were brought to rest immediately.”

The AstroTurf brand fields that were tested and did contain lead were manufactured and installed by a company that is no longer in business. The AstroTurf brand is now solely distributed by GeneralSports Venue, which recently transitioned to lead-free products.

“As far as what AstroTurf is doing, we’re reassuring all our customers with the technical information we’re gathering,” said GSV chairman and president Michael Dennis, a New Jersey resident.

“For our future customers, our commitment is to bring them the latest and greatest technologies.”

The CPSC is currently conducting an investigation as well into similar fields around the country.

According to Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for CPSC, the risk of lead in the fields is far from definitive at this time.

“For 30 years, we’ve been working to reduce exposure to children from lead in consumer products,” he said. “We have an active investigation at this point, and we will be using the technology and resources at our disposal.”