Synthetic turf has taken more than a few hits in the media this past year. News stories have alerted the public to:

— concerns over the presence of staph bacteria, which could lead to serious infections in athletes.

— a simmering controversy in New England over a study that detected the out-gassing of toxins from the heated crumb rubber used as infill material and, most recently,

— the discovery of unsafe levels of lead in several synthetic fields in New Jersey, leading to disturbing media coverage nationwide, including a banner headline in the most widely distributed newspaper in the United States, USA Today.

But through it all, demand for synthetic grass keeps climbing, as does new applications for its use. News reports bring daily accounts of synthetic replacing turfgrass, not only on our playing fields, but also in commercial properties, playgrounds, home lawns and, according to recent reports, in some of our nation’s biggest airports, as well. Worldwide, demand for synthetic is growing at a better than 20% clip. How many hard industries can say that in these tough economic times?

What do I think of synthetic turf in light of all of this, including the negative press?

In a phrase: It’s exactly what I thought of it before all of this publicity? None of the recent press reports have swung my needle regarding synthetic in either direction.

In my mind, synthetic turf remains a poor substitute for real turfgrass, assuming turfgrass can be maintained to provide safe playing conditions with a reasonable expenditure of effort and materials. In all too many schools and communities, that's not possible given the demands placed on sports fields. When turfgrass can’t be maintained to provide safe playing conditions, often because of too many feet and too many events, synthetic turf is the answer. There’s no other choice in meeting exploding demands for sports fields in some of our communities. It’s the right call in these circumstances.

And, giving synthetic its due, it's a wonderfully engineered product in many respects.

Does this mean that we’re taking any of the above safety concerns concerning synthetic turf lightly? Not in the least. That’s the reason why we report on these issues; to let you know what’s going on. However, the media, to this point anyway, seem to be creating more headlines and perhaps alarm than the facts warrant. For example, most of the evidence suggesting that synthetic turf poses a significant health risk when it comes to staph infections has been disquieting but it has also been mostly anecdotal. Also, there's been no evidence that crumb rubber infill has caused any illnesses among field users, or that the lead in the several New Jersey fields, being replaced, has actually harmed anybody. 

No thinking person would dismiss these concerns out of hand now that these issues have been raised and are generating more questions than answers. But it's also equally unwise to weigh in decisively on these controversies until more is known.

What does it all mean to professional sports field managers? Probably not a lot. Not yet.

Right now about all that we can do is dig through the smoke and dust from this media coverage and weigh the relative importance of these issues as more facts and information become known. There’s no reason to rush to judgment about the safety of synthetic sports fields given the evidence that's presented so far.

One final note on the subject, I find it ironic that synthetic turf, given that one of the marketing claims made by some of its supplying companies is that it does not require “dangerous” pesticides, is itself coming under attack on a similar front. I don't get any pleasure (guilty or otherwise) of seeing any industry or product bashed unfairly, and I lose respect for companies that make claims that can't be substantiated or seek a competitive advantage by denigrating another company, product or industry.

Below are links to several of the many recent articles regarding the issue of the discovery of lead on the two synthetic fields in New Jersey. Also, read the industry's response to the discovery of lead on the Athletic Turf Web site and in the Synthetic Turf section of this newsletter.

“U.S. investigates Artificial Turf’s Lead Levels,” Washington Post, April 20

“Study looks at lead levels in synthetic fields,” USA Today, April 18

“Turf Lead Levels to Get Federal Scrutiny,” The Westport News, April 18

“Keeping Off the Grass, Lead found at Sinatra Park and in other areas sparks nationwide look,” The Hudson  Reporter, April  20