Artificial turf is dangerous and should be banned
Where I live every sports field is artificial turf, and when I say every, I mean every. Even the dogs parks are artificial turf. Artificial turf has taken over parts of the world, either because of laziness, or trying to save a buck. Sure, you do not need to mow, water, fertilize or reseed, but it is also dead. Artificial turf releases toxins and micro-plastics into the environment, causes urban heat islands, and potentially causes cancer. Do not worry, we will get into these. Turf is not the choice, and should be removed and banned. Choose plants, not plastic and build biodiversity. Especially if young kids are playing on these fields and getting introduced to these toxic forever chemicals.
Artificial turf is a plastic blanket of fake grass that was initially created for indoor stadiums in which the sun did not reach and grass was not able to grow. Since then, it has expanded to schools, people’s yards, dog parks, and public parks. It lasts about 8 - 10 years before needing to be replaced, in which the previous turf gets thrown away and becomes another source of plastic trash. Rarely does this turf reach recycling plants but rather breaks down into micro-plastics inside our landfills. When creating a plastic turf field, the ground below gets compacted and covered with gravel and plastic reducing any ability to filter and absorb stormwater. This then increases runoff and pollution going into our waterways and coasts.
Artificial turf run off includes toxic chemicals and micro-plastics. Some off the forever chemicals found in artificial turf are: benzene, arsenic, styrene, PAHs and Zinc plus more. Some of those names seem unfamiliar? Well, all you need to know is that they are human carcinogenic and not something you want to be accidentally consuming or get in cuts. This exists in the crumb rubber, the little black plastic pieces in turf. This crumb rubber then gets on you, in cuts (don’t slide tackle), into our water stream and never really decomposes. Artificial turf is getting banned in public parks in Boston and across the EU due to concerns over kids getting introduced to serious forever chemicals. Some studies have suggested that this is cancer causing and a serious threat. Not to mention the impact and heat danger of playing on this turf.
Beyond the obvious turf burns received and potential increase in ACL’s that turf and higher impact turf causes, the turf has be known to reach temperatures of 187 degrees. Turf can get hotter than black top (asphalt) in the same conditions. If you play on a hot day you might have commented about the heat through your shoes. On the other hand, even on the hottest days grass fields rarely ever reach temperatures greater than 100 degrees. This heat effect does not just stop at the turf, this heat effect goes into your neighborhoods through urban heat islands. It doesn’t help that it is impossible to grow trees and shade on the turf since the plastic carpet of turf is devoid of life. Artificial turf can increase the chances of dehydration, burns, blisters and heat stroke on people playing.
There are estimated to be about 13,000 - 15,000 turf fields in the U.S, with ~1,500 added each year. We should seriously consider the risk this has on the environment and the danger for kids playing on these dangerous chemicals. By putting in a little effort we can have grass fields surrounded by native plants that bring life to the world rather than the opposite. Choose plants, not plastic and build biodiversity.