Franklin, Massachusetts' Beaver Street field: is it safe?

Is the Franklin Field safe for use this Spring 2016?

Should the replacement of this field be grass?

Beaver Pond / Chilson Beach at 450 Beaver Street, Franklin, Massachusetts

Located at 450 Beaver Street, the Synthetic Turf Field was installed sometime around 2003.

•  The Beaver St. synthetic turf field is scheduled to be replaced in the next two years.

•  If the council votes $200k this year, they will hire an architect to design and be ready in 2017 to build.

PROBLEM:  The Beaver Street field is still slated for use in the spring of 2016

Precautions the Town of Franklin should take:  GMAX testing and LEAD testing

QUESTIONS:  

Who was the synthetic turf/carpet and in-fill material supplier for the Town of Franklin's Beaver Street Field?

Is the town liable or the manufacturer for maintenance which effects safety or warranty of the current field? 

WHY GMAX and what is it?  

You can read all the scientific details but simply put:  

It is a test to measure the Surface hardness and applies to natural grass and synthetic turf.

GMAX is important because of the increased potential of concussions and  

other injuries cause by impact on a hard surface.

Synthetic turf infill does settle and become compact.  BUT, What is happening at Beaver Street and is MORE concern for safety and what is missing:  the field is very void of any tire crumb rubber infill material that has disappeared over time.  (it disappears through migration: players carry it home, it washes away and also breaks down / erodes over time)

While this infill material is questionable from a chemical standpoint.  Tire Crumb Infill is the material that is supposed to cushion this field.  As of January 2016 the field seemed VERY hard and is void of crumb rubber. There are also flooding issues as documented in the photos below.

It is assumed this all happened because:

•  the "no maintenance" fallacy peddled by synthetic turf companies lead to the Town of Franklin doing "no maintenance" but, indeed, synthetic turf suppliers have full maintenance brochures full of additional equipment needed.

What WOULD be maintenance? and what is the ADDITIONAL specialty equipment needed?

According to one supplier: www.fieldturf.com/maintenance

•   GMAX testing multiple times a year to ensure a safe, properly cushioned surface

•   Field brushing to keep synthetic carpet "grass" fibers standing/ keep from matting

•   Field sanitation using harsh chemicals

•   magnetic removal of debris (bobby pins, nails, buckles etc)

Artificial turf collects many unwanted ferrous objects. Metal objects are easily deposited in synthetic turf, creating hidden dangers for the athletes who use the field. Examples of artificial turf metal field contaminants that are easily dropped in artificial turf fields are bobby pins, safety pins, nails, instrument components, buckles and other metal objects from uniforms or band costumes. The six foot tow behind the field magnet will pull these metal objects up and out of the artificial turf.  Protect your athletes with this powerful field magnet for artificial turf. - See more at: http://www.sportsturfnw.com/field-magnet-for-artificial-turf/#sthash.bLDGPQ2r.dpuf

Artificial turf collects many unwanted ferrous objects. Metal objects are easily deposited in synthetic turf, creating hidden dangers for the athletes who use the field. Examples of artificial turf metal field contaminants that are easily dropped in artificial turf fields are bobby pins, safety pins, nails, instrument components, buckles and other metal objects from uniforms or band costumes. The six foot tow behind the field magnet will pull these metal objects up and out of the artificial turf.  Protect your athletes with this powerful field magnet for artificial turf. - See more at: http://www.sportsturfnw.com/field-magnet-for-artificial-turf/#sthash.bLDGPQ2r.dpuf

Now for the important question:
WHY LEAD testing for Franklin? and HOW?
 

WHY:

•  Various Federal Agencies state: NO LEVEL of Lead is safe for Children

•  The Beaver Street field was installed prior to the  

2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act which lowered the level of lead allowances BUT testing is left to third parties..... who is testing our fields?.

http://www.ceh.org/lead-in-artificial-turf/

HOW TO TEST FOR LEAD?

The Center for Enviromental Health will screen your samples for free. 
***************
Please watch their video about lead in TURF:   
http://www.ceh.org/lead-in-artificial-turf/ 
***************

NOTE: CEH is a non-profit and donations are encouraged!

Sending in a sample is easy!
Your sample should consist of at least six blades.  Collect any loose blades scattered on the turf surface. If those are not available, cut or pull some blades from an area of turf from an area that will not impact the usability of the field. Put the blades in a small bag (for example, a ziplock bag) or envelope. Some turf has two different blade types (often “straight” blades with “curly” blades underneath); if so, send us a sample of both. If there are lines or logos that are different colors you are welcome to send us a sample of each color.  There is no charge for this screening.  We will provide screening results within two weeks of receiving your sample.
Send samples to:
Center for Environmental Health
2201 Broadway, Suite 302
Oakland, CA 94612
Attn: Matt

When talking to the Town of Franklin and fellow parents: 

Is the investment and cost of synthetic turf better than organically treated, properly maintained native grass?

Nov 9, 2015 @ 09:07 AM 2,821 views

EPA Misses Congressional Deadline For Artificial Turf Safety Response

Mike Ozanian

Forbes Staff

Traffic cop at the intersection of money and sports

A worker displays crumb rubber for a photograph at the Emterra Tire Recycling facility in Brampton, Ontario, Canada,Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg

Two weeks ago, the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator looking for more information about the safety of crumb rubber fields. The deadline for the response was November 6. 
The EPA failed to adhere to the deadline. On Friday, EPA spokesperson Liz Purchia told NBC News that the agency was “in the process of responding” to the Energy Committee’s list of questions.
After the congressional letter was sent to the EPA, two senators urged federal officials to lead an “independent investigation into the health risks of crumb rubber” turf, a surface made of recycled tires used on playgrounds and athletic fields across the country, according to NBC. The full letter can be seen here.
Democratic senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Bill Nelson of Florida sent a letter to Chairman Elliot Kaye of the Consumer Product Safety Commission asking the CPSC to “devote additional resources to conclusively determine whether these products can be safely played on by young children and people of all ages.”
In May, Kaye testified before congress regarding the CPSC’s stance on the stance on the safety of artificial turf. His response to representative Pallone is incredible. He basically says that a 2008 report that said crumb rubber used in artificial turf field “is safe” did not mean to convey to parents that the turf fields “were safe to play on.” and that the 2008 report does not reflect the CPSC’s current views. You can watch his testimony below.

Recommended by Forbes

But the CPSC seems to be moving in the opposite direction of what congress and the senate would like. Last week, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), a national alliance of local state and federal resource professionals, reported that the CPSC has decided not to enforce toxic lead limits required by law for children’s products in artificial turf playgrounds, and that  the CPSC has been unable to supply a cogent explanation for this action, even in the face of litigation demanding relevant records. 

http://turfgrassforum.blogspot.com/2016/06/rep-pallones-questions-during-cmt-cpsc.html
 

Kaye’s testimony is consistent with a letter the CPSC sent to senator Elizabeth Warren in July in response to questions the Town of Medway Board of Health regarding crumb rubber in artificial turf. In part, the letter to senator Warren says “the agency is not in a position to comment on the potential health risks from crumb rubber infill on artificial surfaces.”

But the letter also says, “Regarding the Town of Medway Board of Health’s reference to a review study of crumb rubber, in 2013, CPSC staff informed PEER that our Office of Compliance wold undertake a review and determine whether any enforcement action was appropriate regarding the issue. Upon further exploration, Compliance staff concluded, at that time, specific product enforcement was unlikely to be the best option, based upon the need for individual health assessments.”
So what the agency said in 2008 doesn’t mean artificial turf is safe. But the CPSC also won’t say that turf is not safe. And they don’t have, nor are they likely to ever have, enough information to rule on the safety of artificial turf.
The House and Senate need answers.

FULL ARTICLE ON FORBES website: http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2015/11/09/epa-misses-congressional-deadline-for-artificial-turf-safety/#421ebe539cb2