Does synthetic turf threaten your health?

[dferguson]

My job, which involves painting the lines and markings on high school and collegiate outdoor running tracks, allows me to come in contact with some interesting individuals. A week ago, we were touching up some patch work at a school that just had an artificial turf field installed inside of the track. There was a salesman for artificial turf paint who was checking out the site. I questioned him about the project and he said that while he makes a lot of money off of the synthetic fields, he would not let his kids play on them. He said that what the industry is ignoring is the prevalence of penicillin-resistant Staph infections that are due to synthetic turf abrasions. He went on to explain that the natural turf (grass) contains enough of the beneficial microbes to break down the common deposit of trash, fecal matter, blood, urine and sweat. However, synthetic fields are built upon a vegetation-free stone base, upon which the rubber filled carpet rests. This creates a great environment for drug-resistant Staph, with no beneficial microbes with which to compete for existence. This explanation prompted me to ask why a school would provide such a dangerous environment for their athletes, at such a high cost (at least $500K). He indicated that "status" had a great deal to do with capital projects and predicted that synthetic turf fields will disappear as fast as they came on the scene.

I have since lightly researched the artificial turf-staph connection and have found that many facilities are trying to live with the problem by spraying their fields bi-monthly with a biocide, as well as treating synthetic turf abrasions immediately with topical and antibiotic (other than penicillin) prescriptions.

I wanted to provide this info to the Tribe so that they can be wiser when choosing a playing/training surface for their loved ones, as well as themselves.

[dferguson]

One extra bit of trivia: If your flying around in you helicopter, try your best not to land on a synthetic turf field. For when the helicopter pilot decides to take off, the spinning blades will create a vacuum effect on the field, pulling the entire field up with your ascent. (That's why people are "Life-lined" outside of the stadium.)

[Jarlo Ilano]

Thanks for sharing that Don, I didn't realize how bad it could be. I just knew that playing on turf was really hard on your skin.

Scary stuff!

[Cody Fielding]

Synthetic turf tends to be very harsh on the leg joints as well, especially the knees. The surface is harder (less 'give') and the foot tends to get caught when changing direction, where old fashioned grass allows for a more natural sliding pivot.

C-