Toxic Turf

Toronto Public Health found that artificial turfs can become hotter than asphalt and reach temperatures that actually melt the soles of athletic shoes.

Original artwork provided by Rochelle Rubinstein.

All this talk about gardens got me thinking about the children and youth in our communities and what they play on at school. Often there’s a great divide between parents who want their athletic children to have access to artificial turf -- because that’s what the successful US schools use on their fields -- and parents who see the health and environmental benefits of playing on living blades of grass.

Da Vinci School is a public elementary, Waldorf-based school, occupying the third floor of Lord Lansdowne Public School (LLPS), near College St. and Spadina Ave. in downtown Toronto.

Several years ago, a developer agreed to pay a $1-million restitution to LLPS for the shadow his building cast over the children’s playground. Many Waldorf parents were dumbfounded when the TDSB promoted using that money to purchase and install fake turf on that playground.

At a meeting with Waldorf parents, the TDSB’s sustainability officer presented the merits of artificial turf over natural grass. But anyone familiar with the Waldorf philosophy knows that it develops students’ intellectual, artistic and practical skills through interacting with nature, eating in season, and embracing natural materials. Plastic grass doesn’t figure into that equation.

When the meeting ended in a stand-off, parent Janerae Causyn decided to help parents understand the health risks associated with artificial grass.

According to Causyn, “we don’t know all of the health risks, because the research isn’t there yet. It’s ludicrous to test new products on children’s playing fields without reviewed research based on longitudinal studies.”

Fake grass is a hazardous choice for many reasons, including the fact that children who fall or slide on this turf can suffer thermal burns and serious abrasions that can become infected.

Artificial turf may also contribute to the “heat island effect”: an urban phenomenon where energy, materials, and a lack of vegetation can markedly increase the temperature in certain areas.

Living grass releases water vapour and the evaporation of that water vapour cools the surface. That’s why the temperature of grass fields rarely rise above 38 C/100 F.

Synthetic grass, on the other hand, retains and amplifies heat reaching temperatures ranging from 60 C/140 F to 77 C/170 F in hot and sunny conditions.

Any temperature over 49 C/120 F can cause skin burns within two seconds of contact.

Toronto Public Health found that artificial turfs can become hotter than asphalt and reach temperatures that actually melt the soles of athletic shoes.

Because children are less able to regulate their body temperature; are closer to the ground; and breathe faster than adults; they’re more susceptible to dehydration, and prone to heatstroke when exposed to heat islands.

Youth playing football or soccer on these fields on hot days are increasingly susceptible to dehydration, heat stroke, and in some cases, death.

Infill used between the blades of grass to cushion impact eventually breaks down, leaving a hazardously hard surface which can cause concussions.

The TDSB chose ‘natural’ infill of silica pellets, coated with acrylic polymers for LLPS. The pellets eventually disintegrate into silica dust that can cause lung damage, and is recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a carcinogen. Combined with the disintegrating acrylic polymers, it forms plastic dust and micro-debris.

Artificial turf doesn’t stay sterile. Sweat, blood, spit, bird and animal droppings require routine spraying with toxic chemicals that can be inhaled, absorbed through skin, contaminate clothing, shoes, pets, and be carried into schools, cars, and homes.

The off-gassing chemicals from the turf mix, combined with the cleaning chemicals, could create a toxic soup for children and youth to play on.

The impermeable carpet base contributes to increased runoff and flooding that carries plastic particles into the streets, sewers, and our water system. However, if drainage is done correctly, which TDSB was planning, absorption is better.

Toronto Public Health’s list of precautions includes supervising small children, not eating on the field, regular monitoring of contaminants, preventing tracking of infill, and hand washing.

The 400 students attending LLPS would need to shake out their hair, clothes and shoes, and wash their hands after playing in the morning, at lunch, and after both recesses—pretty much an administrative nightmare.

Causyn’s extensive research and outreach helped parents and teachers vote overwhelmingly against artificial turf at a March 2019 meeting. The victory sent a strong message about protecting our environment and our kids.

Rochelle Rubinstein, an anti-artificial turf activist in Toronto, wants people to know that, despite her efforts, “the TDSB refuses to acknowledge any health concerns. The TDSB continues to replace school fields and playgrounds with artificial turf, without heeding its mandate to protect the health and safety of its students. This is especially heinous in elementary schools, as younger children are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses, and to ingesting, inhaling and dermally absorbing toxins from the infill.”

Rubinstein’s message to both the Catholic and public boards is “take a stand now, before we have mountains of evidence in the form of sick kids, against something that clearly is not good for either our environment or our children.”

A version of this article first appeared in Ground.