I am writing in response to a recent article published by Christine Tamir entitled “Synthetic Turf:  The Real Risks.”

By way of background, I am the Washington, DC counsel for the Synthetic Turf Council, representing the many facets of the synthetic turf industry.  I am aware that a number of local high schools, middle schools, elementary schools and parks have decided to replace their natural turf fields with synthetic turf because it more cost-effective and versatile.  A number of recent articles and blog posts have asserted that synthetic turf presents a health threat to those who play on these fields.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Synthetic turf is recognized by school and parks officials, the NFL, World Cup soccer, and sports and recreation leagues around the world to provide a consistent and safe playing surface year-round, when high usage, climatic conditions and other factors make it impossible to maintain a lush, safe grass sports field.  And, according to the Synthetic Turf Council, because it saves billions of gallons of water, eliminates the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and looks fabulous for many years; synthetic grass is in high demand for landscape and recreation use.

Numerous independent studies validate the human health and environmental safety of synthetic turf and crumb rubber infill, including the U.S. EPA, Consumer Product Safety Commission, and EHHI’s home state of Connecticut.  The studies are posted in their entirety on the Synthetic Turf Council’s website, www.syntheticturfcouncil.org, under Resource Center/Independent Research.