Artificial turf scare: Consumer watchdog warns of lead in nylon-based fields

TRENTON, N.J. - An environmental watchdog group said Monday it found excessive amounts of lead in several brands of artificial turf, and it warned some of the biggest manufacturers and sellers that it will sue unless they recall or reformulate their products.

The report from the Center for Environmental Health comes after New Jersey officials found unacceptably high lead levels in some synthetic surfaces and federal authorities recommended lead testing on fraying sports fields.

In the past three years, two large playing fields in South Lake Tahoe have been covered with synthetic turf.

The Community Youth Sports Complex at South Tahoe Middle School has a 10-month-old polyethylene turf manufactured by FieldTurf Tarkett of Montreal that is used for soccer and football.

Steve Morales, director of facilities for the Lake Tahoe Unified School District, said he addressed the issue back in April when the Enviornmental Protection Agency first released it concerns. Morales said he was assured by FieldTurf Tarkett that the blades in its polyethylene turf don't contain lead.

"Based on what we know today, we do not believe we have a lead issue with field at the Community Youth Sports Complex," Morales said. "At this time, this concern is centered on nylon-based fibers in the product. The pigment used to color the nylon fiber contains lead chromate. The turf that was installed at the STMS Youth Sports Complex is polyethylene based and is not manufactured in the same manner as nylon-based turf."

Morales belives that the school district has a 10-year warranty on the $465,000 turf. "Twenty NFL teams use this type of turf. It's a top-of-the-line artificial turf product. As a result, it's not the cheapest, but it's more durable and the safest."

The only other play area on the South Shore with a synthetic field is the the South Lake Tahoe Community Playfields at Lake Tahoe Community College.

It is uncertain if the three-year-old turf at the college is one of the nylon-based surfaces that can cause exposure to excessive levels of lead.

Grass Valley-based Sport Fields put in the grassy-like carpet over a little more than an acre in 2005. El Dorado County owns the soccer/football field, but the city of South Lake Tahoe has been maintaining the field. The county reportedly has an eight-year warranty on the turf.

The Tribune left phone messages with Gary Moore, parks and recreation superintendent, on Monday night.

Testing by the New Jersey Health Department found high lead levels in nylon and nylon-blend fields, but only in fields that had endured a lot of wear. The lead found at three New Jersey turf fields could be absorbed by humans, a follow-up test showed, but the state epidemiologist said the lead levels were not high enough to cause poisoning to people who play on the fields.

Charles Margulis, a spokesman for the Center for Environmental Health, said his employer has begun notifying 15 turf manufacturers and retailers of its intent to sue under California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act unless the companies agree to recall the products or reformulate artificial turf so it contains less lead. Names on the list include some of the country's largest retailers, like Ace Hardware and Lowe's, and some of the best-known turf manufacturers, like AstroTurf. The companies have 60 days to respond.

Rick Doyle, president of the Synthetic Turf Council, an industry trade group, said the lead in turf is encapsulated in the blades and does not leach out or become airborne.

"It does not pose a risk to human health or the environment," Doyle said. "It is not readily absorbed by the body or released into the environment."

The United States has about 3,500 synthetic playing fields made of various materials, including nylon and polyethylene, and about 800 are installed each year at schools, colleges, parks and stadiums, the Synthetic Turf Council has said.



- Tribune Sports Editor Steve Yingling contributd to this story.