The Public Advocate has worked for 2 years to raise concerns about synthetic turf in city parks.
Betsy Gotbaum said, "Thank you, Councilmember Foster and members of the Committee on Parks and Recreation for holding this important hearing. I have been working on this issue for nearly two years now. In December 2007, the Committee met to ask the Parks Department how they planned to investigate the health and environmental effects of synthetic turf. Today, although testing has now been completed on existing fields, questions still remain about the health and environmental risks that artificial turf may pose.
For two years my office has been part of a coalition – which includes the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), New Yorkers for Parks, and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYPLI) – that has raised repeated concerns about the use of synthetic turf in our city’s parks.
During this time, we have focused on three major issues associated with the use of synthetic turf:
First, the danger posed by overheated turf, which can rise to as much as 160 degrees on a hot day. This presents an immediate burn risk, and can potentially contribute to the urban heat island effect.
Second, the concern that, because synthetic turf does not absorb water like natural turf, it exacerbates storm water run-off, which further burdens our already overtaxed sewers. This run-off may also carry toxic elements picked up from the turf into our sewers and waterways.
The third issue, which my office has focused on more than any other, is the potential health risk of crumb-rubber infill made from recycled tires—the material used in certain types of synthetic turf. In April, 2007, I first called for independent testing of this material because recycled tires contain toxins linked to many serious health problems. Rather than confirm that this material was safe, the DPR proceeded with its plans to install new synthetic turf fields made with this type of infill.
In February, 2008, the coalition wrote a letter to the Parks Department and the DOHMH, demanding an immediate moratorium on the further installation of synthetic turf until tests were done. The letter also called for the Parks Department to create a schedule for existing fields to be replaced after a certain period of time; and it urged DOHMH to expedite its review of existing literature on the health effects of crumb-rubber infill.
The city agreed only to the literature review, arguing that the turf was safe and did not need testing. As evidence, it cited a study sponsored by The Tire Recycling Management Association of Alberta. Hardly an objective third party.
DOHMH dragged its heels, taking nearly a year to complete its literature review. And while the city continued to insist that infill-style turf made with recycled crumb rubber was perfectly safe, Parks eventually made the decision to stop ordering it. Had the city listened to our coalition and taken stronger action earlier, it may have avoided wasting money on this potentially hazardous product.
Even though the Parks has stopped ordering turf made of
recycled crumb rubber infill, there are still existing fields made from this
material in our parks and there are still unanswered questions and concerns
about synthetic turf in general. A number of recent developments have occurred
that I find deeply troubling.
Last January, the state of New Jersey
had to shut down a nine-year-old artificial turf field in Newark
And just weeks ago (Dec. 22), the Parks Department abruptly closed a synthetic turf field at Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem after it detected elevated lead levels. This field was an infill-style field made with recycled tire crumb rubber. The EPA standard for lead that was used for the testing is 400 parts per million. Some samples collected from Thomas Jefferson field had lead levels of almost 5 times the EPA standard, almost 2,000 parts per million.
It came as news to me and to the coalition that DOH and Parks were testing at all, despite their prior claims that testing is unnecessary. They have since gone on to test almost every other field in the Parks system, and while no other fields have been closed and the results of the testing were released to the coalition just last week, the city has so far failed to announce the full results to the general public.
The fact remains that neither DOH nor Parks can identify
with certainty the source of lead contamination at Thomas Jefferson Park
I have renewed my call for a moratorium until the city
institutes a comprehensive policy on synthetic turf that includes a schedule
for periodic testing over the life of each field and a schedule for replacing
turf as it ages, and demand that the city disclose to the public the full
results of any testing conducted by DOHMH and DPR.
There are still too many questions about the health and
environmental effects of synthetic turf. It’s time for the city to cooperate
and clearly demonstrate that New York’s
parks are 100% safe for children and their families. There are few issue of greater importance.Thank you for taking the time today to focus on this issue."
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