Synthetic turf test results released by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) on June 3rd confirmed lead chromate levels are well below that necessary to cause harm to children and athletes using the popular playing field surfaces.
"Our industry is proud of its unblemished record of human health and environmental safety since synthetic turf was first introduced more than 40 years ago," says Rick Doyle, President of the Synthetic Turf Council. "We are actively sharing information and cooperating with the NJDHSS, Consumer Product Safety Council (CPSC) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ensure the continued safety of the public."
Lead chromate has been used in a number of synthetic turf fields to extend the life of its colorfastness. Testing three fields in New Jersey with elevated lead levels, the NJDHSS focused on the bioaccessibility of synthetic turf, which it defines as "the fraction of a substance in a material that is soluble and made available for absorption" by the body. Findings validated the Synthetic Turf Council's position, based on science and expert opinion, that lead chromate's extremely low bioavailability prevents it from being readily absorbed by the human body.
Key Findings
From its tests, the NJDHSS reported that the amount of lead chromate contained in fibers from the three fields available for absorption in the intestine, which is where food altered by stomach acid is absorbed by the blood and lymphatic systems, ranged from 2.5% to 11%. We used the most extreme scenario, 11%, to calculate the amount of turf that would have to be ingested to equal the federal standard of 600 parts per million. In practical terms, it is virtually impossible for a child to be at risk from synthetic turf: