The grass is always greener when it’s made of recycled tire rubber crumbs, but as an athletic field surface, is it safe for our children to play on?
At the packed-to-standing-room Roswell City Council meeting last month, a resolution was passed requesting and supporting that national and local research be conducted to determine if athletic fields comprised of chopped up scrap tires are toxic dangers.
Recent news reports have raised safety concerns and Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. and Bill Nelson, D-Fla. have asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission to, “conclusively determine whether these products can be safely played on by young children and people of all ages.”
Meanwhile, as the studies out there conflict and confuse, repurposed rubber athletic fields are in full play in our communities: at schools, in parks, and on playgrounds. Seven football, lacrosse and soccer fields in Roswell parks, and all 16 Cobb County high school fields, utilize crumb rubber.
I’m usually inclined to favor home-grown, organic and natural, but I am also a longtime recycling proponent and advocate for saving the earth’s limited resources. With this effort, lies an opportunity to help us all leave a smaller carbon footprint by putting old tries to work for us, rather than taking up space in landfills. But if this recycled product contains harmful contaminants, as crumb rubber may, that needs to be strongly considered.
Jason Sabatino, a father of two who lives behind East Roswell Park, cited coconut, cork and rice husk fill-in as a natural alternative. He wants that used for retrofitting in light of the lack of a definitive safety study on crumb rubber, and his 11-year-old son’s interest in playing football.
Resident Lee Fleck spoke up about his concerns that the resolution did not go far enough, and so takes a proactive approach to the uncertain question of safety by handing out information to parents and caregivers at area parks.
However, there are residents who see no negative issues with crumb rubber.
“We love it, it’s always green and always ready for practice,” Richard Haly, a father and coach, told me during a recent visit to Roswell Area Park. He was there helping his daughter, Ryann, work on her lacrosse shots.
He said he’s coached on both artificial turf and natural grass over the past ten years and prefers artificial because you don’t miss practices, “it doesn’t mud, and it’s cheaper than having to maintain [grass],” he said adding that he is in the landscape business in Acworth.
Everyone seems to agree this is not a tough call, if health concerns are factual, crumb rubber should not be utilized as fill-in for athletic fields. To date, the studies are inconsistent, inconclusive, or not conducted by sources independent of the industry. But none of us want our children to be the litmus tests determining the safety of any product.
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