RALEIGH, NC — GeneralSports Venue (GSV), the exclusive U.S. licensee of the AstroTurf brand, has been awarded the contract to remove and replace the Ironbound B-Field on St. Charles Ave. in Newark, NJ.  

The original field at Ironbound, manufactured and installed in 1999 by Southwest Recreational Industries, is being removed due to its age and subsequent concerns over the amount of lead chromate found in the turf fiber. The aging nylon turf field, located within an abandoned industrial complex that the EPA found was contaminated with heavy metals, prompted a limited study within the state on the safety of chemical compounds used in synthetic turf.

After meeting with a team representing AstroTurf, led by GSV Chairman Michael Dennis and New Jersey resident Michael Dennis, the City of Newark elected to replace the Ironbound field with PureGrass, a new AstroTurf system featuring lead-free nylon fibers. The City of Newark anticipates the new surface installation atIronbound will be completed by May 7, followed by a ribbon cutting later in the month. 

PureGrass is a non-filled synthetic grass system, which features TurfAide, a factory-applied antimicrobial agent. 

 Said Dennis, GSV Chairman Dennis. “While testing has supported that the composition of the old field posed no known risk to human health, the city requested that the replacement system be lead-free to eliminate any perceived concerns by its citizens.”

Removal of the original Ironbound field is nearing completion. During the removal process, the City of Newark used a pollutant-testing agency to evaluate the air quality in the immediate area. Over several days, workers were monitored with respirators using filters specifically calibrated to test for lead.  Test results showed no detectable levels of lead.  The testing, conducted for OSHA Workplace Exposure Assessment, determined that workers required no protection for potential exposure to lead.

According to State of New Jersey Deputy Commissioner and State Epidemiologist Dr. Eddy Bresnitz, tests were conducted on the children who had been exposed to the Ironbound field and found that the lead levels in the children who had played on the field were lower or equal to levels found in childrenwho had not been exposed to the field.

Additionally, both the City of Newark and another independent laboratory conducted leaching tests on the Ironbound turf to determine if any lead chromate was leaving the turf fibers and escaping into the environment.  Both tests used EPA approved methods to analyze fibers from the old field at Ironbound, and did not detect leaching of lead.  To view a copy of the results from one of the tests conducted, visitwww.astroturfusa.com.