AoW - Week
Name _________________________________________Date______
Directions:
1. Monday (Homework)--Purposefully annotate using nonfiction text codes.
2. Tuesday (In-class)--Be prepared for discussion/debate.
3. Tuesday (Homework)--Questions (See specific instructions)
4. Wednesday/Thursday (Homework)--Write a one-page reflection.
Popular Athletic Field Turf Raises Worries
Jeff Roberts, The Record, 3.08.15
HACKENSACK, N.J. — The tiny specks of black rubber burrow their way into everything.
Keith Verkem finds them embedded in his carpet. In his car mats. Even chewed by his dog.
The shredded bits of used car and truck tires — called crumb rubber — routinely infest his Glen
Rock, New Jersey, home. They are carried in by his 13-year-old son, Zachary, after soccer games
on artificial turf. They are used as infill on nearly all synthetic fields in the country.
And he wonders just how safe those little pellets are.
“My son comes home and takes off his cleats, and now I have piles of crumb rubber in my
house,” Verkem said. “They do get everywhere.”
The large majority of studies have found minimal to no health risks from crumb rubber after
testing turf fields, including analyses conducted by the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and
the University of California (UC), Berkeley.
But despite this research, concern keeps entering the debate in many North Jersey towns and
school districts when they consider upgrading their facilities to synthetic turf. Although dozens
of municipalities have installed turf and are satisfied, the issue of safety recently has arisen in
Glen Rock, Ho-Ho-Kus and Washington Township, tapping into a larger national unease.
A growing contingent of parents, athletes and watchdog groups are questioning the safety of
crumb rubber due to the carcinogens and toxic chemicals used in tire manufacturing. They
argue they can be ingested, inhaled or absorbed through the infill.
Some studies have detected such toxins as benzene and carbon tetrachloride at turf fields,
albeit at concentrations low enough to be deemed safe.
There is no concrete evidence that crumb rubber poses a health risk. But many scientists say
there has been no conclusive research done measuring these fields over time or under varying
temperature and weather to unequivocally declare them safe.
Paul J. Lioy, an environmental expert who studied the possible toxicity of synthetic turf fields, is
convinced that they are safe enough to allow his grandchildren to play on them.
“I would say although the jury is still out on all fields, for the ones that we studied between
2004 and 2008, we didn’t find much,” said Lioy, vice chairman of the department of
environmental and occupational medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New
Brunswick, New Jersey. “Some of the studies have been limited in scope. Some have been
limited in the kinds of chemicals they look at. The only way to prove it or disprove it is to run”
more samples.
The Synthetic Turf Council, an industry group, declined an interview request. A statement on its
website reads: “The preponderance of evidence shows no negative health effects associated
with crumb rubber in synthetic turf.”
Turf companies assert that crumb rubber is safe and that dangerous ingredients are rendered
inert in the manufacturing process.
Lioy said only long-term study of fields in different locations can verify that claim. But that will
take time and money that no organization has been willing to devote.
Darren Gill, a spokesman for turf company FieldTurf, said it asked the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) for more research after an NBC investigation last fall again raised
safety concerns.
“We’re certainly confident in the safety of the product, and we have absolutely no problem
with more study being done,” he said. “I think once people do the research and get past the
glitzy, glamorous headlines from NBC, I think they look at the science and realize that there’s
10,000 fields in America and really no real information to the contrary that these fields are
anything but safe.”
The EPA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have backed off previous studies
declaring crumb rubber fields safe, labeling their own research limited.
On its website, the EPA refers to its study as “very limited” and admitted it is “not possible to
extend the results beyond the four study sites or to reach any more comprehensive conclusions
without the consideration of additional data.”
The Consumer Product Safety Commission added a large, red disclaimer on the top of the
evaluation it posted on its website, cautioning that the “staff’s assessment was subject to
specified limitations including sample size. The exposure assessment did not include chemicals
or other toxic metals, beyond lead.”
The crumb rubber issue has gained national attention since the material covers youth and high
school fields, municipal parks, playgrounds and even MetLife Stadium, home to the NFL Giants
and Jets. Ninety-eight percent of the 11,000 synthetic turf athletic fields in the United States
use crumb rubber, according to the Synthetic Turf Council.
Turf fields have become the surface of choice around the nation because they are weatherresistant, easier to maintain than grass and usable around the clock. They last 10 to 15 years.
There are alternatives to crumb rubber, including organic fill, sneaker rubber and other
products. But crumb rubber is the cheapest and remains the most popular choice.
Crumb rubber is considered recycled material and no longer deemed tire waste under the
federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The law is intended to protect the public and
environment from hazardous waste. With the classification of recycled material, crumb rubber
is no longer held to the same scrutiny as tires, a major contention for critics. Turf manufacturers
market recycling as part of the benefits of their fields.
“I’m not a crackpot who thinks everything causes cancer, but we don’t know what it is,” Verkem
said. “And it’s made from a product that has chemicals in it we know will cause cancer. It
doesn’t seem like a large jump to say maybe we shouldn’t be exposing ourselves to this stuff.”
St. Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey, put down a turf field in 2002 and
another turf field two years ago, both containing crumb rubber.
Tony Karcich, St. Joseph’s athletic director, was aware of concerns when the school needed to
replace the initial field. FieldTurf, the company that installed them, assured him that the infill
was sterilized to remove toxins, he said.
“That was addressed” with FieldTurf, Karcich said. “It wasn’t an issue with us.”
Research largely supports turf companies’ stance.
A study conducted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation declared
that crumb rubber fields pose “no significant environmental threat to air or water quality and
poses no significant health concerns.”
UC Berkeley concluded in a research review that “the materials are both cost-effective and
safe.”
Turf also may result in fewer injuries than grass. Studies conducted by Montana State
University and West Texas A&M University found fewer concussions, severe injuries and
ligament tears among high school athletes playing on turf.
However, Lioy says “some holes” remain in the research that does not allow science to
conclusively declare it safe or unsafe.
“A lot of the older fields did have toxins in them, like lead,” he said. “Those fields, because
they’ve aged and they’re worn and the kind of material used is different from today, they may
pose some hazard."
Lioy added, “These fields age. The way they are when they are first installed is different than
the way they are after being on the ground five to seven years because of sunlight, because of
wind, rain, snow, ice and because of use.”
Not everyone is convinced that crumb rubber fields are safe.
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the Los Angeles Unified School
District no longer install crumb rubber fields. In December, California state Senator Jerry Hill
proposed a bill that would prevent cities and school districts from installing them for three
years.
David R. Brown, a public health toxicologist for Environment and Human Health Inc., found in
2007 that the chemicals in the material are not inert, according to his review of research.
The Connecticut-based nonprofit, which is made up of physicians, public health professionals
and policy experts, became involved after parents in Westport and Greenwich contacted it,
troubled by the odor of turf fields and their ingredients.
Brown, a former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention executive, concluded there are
“numerous” health risks and more study was needed on the material’s “potential to induce
cancers.”
Amy Griffin, a University of Washington assistant women’s soccer coach and a former member
of the U.S. National Team, has compiled an anecdotal list of dozens of players who have had
cancer diagnoses they attribute to crumb rubber. Most were goalkeepers, who spend more
time on the ground than field players.
Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, or PEER,
pointed to 30 or so chemicals “of some concern” in tires. PEER, a nonprofit watchdog for public
employees who speak out on environmental issues, got involved when Griffin and an EPA
toxicologist petitioned for help.
“Not much is known,” Ruch said. “That’s the issue. This has been a leap-before-you-look deal.”
The Ho-Ho-Kus school district used organic fill instead of crumb rubber as a selling point when it
proposed a $2.17 million referendum to install new turf at the Lloyd Road school field. But it
was voted down in December by almost a 3-to-1 margin.
Ho-Ho-Kus opted for organic fill for safety reasons, despite an additional cost of about
$150,000, according to recently retired Superintendent Deborah Ferrara.
“Crumb rubber did have a lot of question marks,” she said.
Toni Plantamura of Washington Township wants to keep a turf field from being installed there.
She has circulated a petition calling for any prospective turf field to be put to a referendum and
has collected more than 500 signatures. The contentious issue has been debated for months as
the council mulls converting Memorial Field to crumb-rubber turf.
Plantamura is most irked by the tax increase a $2.2 million bond would levy. She also is
concerned by the potential health impact. “I don’t understand how parents aren’t concerned,”
Plantamura said.
Verkem, the Glen Rock parent, researched turf fields while the Borough Council debated
installing one at Faber Field before its $3 million referendum failed in November. What he
learned about crumb rubber concerned him — one of the reasons he voted against it.
The material “that we make tires out of is not healthy,” Verkem said. “Do we want to find out
years later that there is a link?”
Researchers such as Lioy don’t think there is. But they cannot say there isn’t, at least not yet.
Questions (Tuesday) Multiple Choice - Choose the letter of the best answer and justify your choice.
▢ SUPPORT
▢ ORGANIZATION
▢ ACCURACY
▢ PROFESSIONALISM
1. Which paragraph from the article explains why some people worry about crumb rubber,
even though many studies have shown it is safe?
A. There are alternatives to crumb rubber, including organic fill, sneaker rubber and other
products. But crumb rubber is the cheapest and remains the most popular choice.
B. Tony Karcich, St. Joseph’s athletic director, was aware of concerns when the school
needed to replace the initial field. FieldTurf, the company that installed them, assured
him that the infill was sterilized to remove toxins, he said.
C. The Synthetic Turf Council, an industry group, declined an interview request. A
statement on its website reads: “The preponderance of evidence shows no negative
health effects associated with crumb rubber in synthetic turf.”
D. There is no concrete evidence that crumb rubber poses a health risk. But many scientists
say there has been no conclusive research done measuring these fields over time or
under varying temperature and weather to unequivocally declare them safe.
▢ SUPPORT
▢ ORGANIZATION
▢ ACCURACY
▢ PROFESSIONALISM
2. If this article were to be rewritten to focus on long-term uncertainty of health risks, which
paragraph would be MOST useful?
A. She has circulated a petition calling for any prospective turf field to be put to a
referendum and has collected more than 500 signatures. The contentious issue has been
debated for months as the council mulls converting Memorial Field to crumb-rubber turf.
B. Verkem, the Glen Rock parent, researched turf fields while the Borough Council debated
installing one at Faber Field before its $3 million referendum failed in November. What he
learned about crumb rubber concerned him — one of the reasons he voted against it.
C. Plantamura is most irked by the tax increase a $2.2 million bond would levy. She also is
concerned by the potential health impact. “I don’t understand how parents aren’t
concerned,” Plantamura said.
D. The material “that we make tires out of is not healthy,” Verkem said. “Do we want to find
out years later that there is a link?”
Short Answer - Answer the following questions in complete sentences on a separate sheet of
paper. Support your answers with details from the text and highlight the support used from
the text.
▢ SUPPORT
▢ ORGANIZATION
▢ ACCURACY
▢ PROFESSIONALISM
3. Explain Paul J. Lioy’s, an environmental expert who studied the possible toxicity of
synthetic turf fields, quote that “some holes” remain in the research that does not allow
science to conclusively declare it safe or unsafe.
▢ SUPPORT
▢ ORGANIZATION
▢ ACCURACY
▢ PROFESSIONALISM
4. Explain the central idea of the text.
AoW Reflection Summary Guidelines (Wednesday/Thursday)
● Name of the article, date and source, followed by a summary of what the article is about
● An explanation of what the author hopes to impart on the readers, and why it is
significant to the current topic of article
● A quote, specific detail, or example from the article followed by your explanation of why
it is important (why did you choose that detail)
● Personal thoughts and opinions about the article (Do you agree with the article? Why
or why not?; What did you learn from the article?; How does this article relate to your
life?; etc.)
● Correct spelling, grammar, punctuation
● Type a minimum 1 page double spaced MLA format reflection