GeneralSports Venue/AstroTurf USA’s position on concerns over the use of crumb rubber derived from recycled passenger tires in synthetic turf systems
Introduction
As a company that considers the safety of all those who use our products as its number one priority, we want to address inquiries that have been raised about the health and environmental impact of the use of crumb material from granulated used tires in synthetic turf fields. Since General Sports Venue was established in 2003, we have spent a great deal of time studying and researching the design and development of all sorts of synthetic turf playing surfaces, including surfaces that use crumb rubber infill. In conducting our research, we have reviewed numerous scientific studies from a wide range of government agencies and credible research scientists that have investigated the environmental and health impact of crumb rubber. Based on our review of this independent research, we have concluded that the use of crumb rubber infill material in synthetic turf fields is environmentally safe and does not pose any known health risks.
EPA’s Position on Crumb Rubber
The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) position on crumb rubber is that recycled passenger tires are not considered a hazardous waste. In fact, the EPA encourages the recycling of passenger tires for other secondary uses, including the use of crumb rubber from recycled tires for playgrounds, running tracks and sports playing fields.
The EPA has stated: At the end of 2003, the U.S. generated approximately 290 million scrap tires. Historically, these scrap tires took up space in landfills or provided breeding grounds for mosquitoes and rodents when stockpiled or illegally dumped. Fortunately, markets now exist for 80.4% of these scrap tires - up from 17% in 1990. These markets - both recycling and beneficial use - continue to grow. (See, )
According to the EPA, [s]crap tires are used in a number of productive and environmentally safe applications. (See, )
In 2003, markets for scrap tires were consuming 233 million, or 80.4 %, of the 290 million annually generated scrap tires [as follows]:
· 130 million (44.7%) are used as fuel
· 56 million (19.4%) are recycled or used in civil engineering projects
· 18 million (7.8%) are converted into ground rubber and recycled into products
· 12 million (4.3%) are converted into ground rubber and used in rubber-modified asphalt
· 9 million (3.1%) are exported*
· 6.5 million (2.0 %) are recycled into cut/stamped/punched products
· 3 million (1.7%) are used in agricultural and miscellaneous uses
(See, www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/tires/basic.htm).
The EPA has stated that among the beneficial uses of recycled tires is the use of crumb rubber in the athletic and recreational application market segment:
Examples and benefits of using scrap tires in this market segment include:
· Ground cover under playground equipment – possesses high impact attenuation/ability to absorb the energy from falling children and objects.
· Running track material – increases a track's resiliency and decreases stress on runners' legs.
· Sports and playing fields – as a soil additive, increases the resiliency of the field thereby decreasing injuries, improves drainage, and enables better grass root structure.
(See, www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/tires/ground.htm)
Crumb Rubber Research Studies
In addition to the position taken by the EPA, numerous other government agencies and credible scientists have investigated the environmental and health safety of crumb rubber from recycled tires – including the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment of the California Environmental Protection Agency, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the New York Department of Parks and Recreation, and a variety of other international agencies and scientists. These agencies and scientists have concluded that crumb rubber is environmentally safe and that there is no real basis for concern over adverse health effects from the use of crumb rubber in playgrounds and synthetic turf fields.
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment of the California Environmental Protection Agency conducted several studies on the potential health risks to children using outdoor playground and track surfaces constructed from recycled waste tires, the results of which were published in 2007. The studies concluded that the risk of cancer and non-cancer health effects due to ingestion or inhalation of recycled tire rubber on playgrounds and tracks, even for very young children, ranged from below de minimis to low, that toxicity to animals and plants living in the vicinity seemed doubtful, and further found that the research suggested no risk to the local ecology. (Vidair, C.; Haas, R.; Schlag, R.; Evaluation of Health Effects of Recycled Waste Tires in Playground and Track Products, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment of the California Environmental Product Agency, January 2007). This study is posted on the EPA’s website as supportive of its recommendation that crumb rubber from recycled tires be used for athletic and recreational applications.
The conclusions of the California Environmental Protection Agency have been confirmed by a variety of other state agencies. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has stated that the use of tire crumb in synthetic athletic fields is an acceptable recycling/reuse of the rubber that warrants no further review by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. (Doucett, J. Synthetic Turf Beneficial Use Determination; Prepared by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, July 2007).
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection also investigated the safety of crumb rubber and found that many, if not all, of the research studies that have been conducted have found a very minimal concentration of potentially carcinogenic materials in the crumb rubber substance. (Ledoux, T. Preliminary Assessment of the Toxicity from Exposure to Crumb Rubber: its use in Playgrounds and Artificial Turf Playing Fields; New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, White Paper Summary, June 2007). It is hypothesized that this is because the volatile organic substances that are present in the original consumer tire likely dissipate while the tire is in use and prior to being recycled into crumb rubber. (Ledoux, at 2). Through normal wear and tear of the consumer tire, the tires are heated above ambient temperatures facilitating the dissipation of existing volatile components. For these reasons, the crumb rubber generated from consumer tires and subsequently used in synthetic turf fields contains only miniscule amounts of volatile organic substances, if any. (Ledoux, at 2). Therefore, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has concluded that it is very unlikely that any significantly adverse inhalation exposure would occur to anyone within close proximity to where crumb rubber is used. (Ledoux, at 2). In addition, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has concluded that there is no indication from the various studies that have been conducted that ingestion of up to 50 to 200 mg per day of crumb rubber would lead to any adverse health effects. (Ledoux, at 2).
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation has indicated that its review of the scientific evidence reveals that the human digestive system does not posses the capability of breaking down Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and other volatile organic compounds found in recycled tires. (Abramson, P. New York City Department of Parks and Recreation Position Statement, January 2008, at 2). Therefore, if a child was to ingest a handful of tire crumb, the particles that enter the body would pass through untouched. (Abramson, at 2) With respect to the impact of direct bodily contact with crumb rubber, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, as well as other scientific studies, have concluded that PAH’s and other volatile organic compounds found in recycled tires are unable to enter the body absent a chemical solvent much stronger than water, sweat or digestive juices. (Abramson, at 2; Birkholz, D; Belton, K; Guidotti, T. Toxicological Evaluation for the Hazard Assessment of Tire Crumb for Use in Public Playgrounds; J. Air & Waste Manage. Assoc. 2006, 53:904). In fact, the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation has stated that you are more likely to absorb PAH from eating a grilled hamburger than you are from rubber pellets you would come into contact with while playing soccer or football (Abramson, at 2-3).
Still other studies have found that crumb rubber samples do not contain any DNA or chromosome-damaging chemicals and do not contain chemicals with high vapor pressures. (Birkholz, D; Belton, K; Guidotti, T. Toxicological Evaluation for the Hazard Assessment of Tire Crumb for Use in Public Playgrounds; J. Air & Waste Manage. Assoc. 2006, 53:903-907). This research further supports the conclusion that there is a very low risk or no risk of adverse health effects through inhalation of crumb rubber particulates.
Studies in the U.S. also have been confirmed internationally. For example, a study by researchers from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the Radium Hospital have concluded that on the basis of estimated exposure values and the dose/concentrations which can cause harmful effects to humans, it is concluded that the use of artificial turf with recycled rubber granulate does not cause any elevated health risks. (Artificial Turf Pitches – An Assessment of the Health Risks for Football Players; Prepared by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the Radium Hospital, January 2006)
Therefore, there exists a significant amount of research to indicate that crumb rubber from recycled tires used in synthetic turf fields do not pose a risk to health or the environment. In fact, the use of crumb rubber from recycled tires has been touted by the EPA and a number of state environmental agencies as having a beneficial impact on the environment.
Environmental Benefits of Synthetic Turf
The recycling of used tires for secondary uses, such as for use in playgrounds, running tracks and sports fields, helps to address a significant environmental issue. Disposal of used tires has provided major challenges in solid waste management due to their elastic properties. If left intact, their hollow shape allows water to collect which can lead to hazardous insect breeding (Birkholz et al, at 903). The tire, in its whole form, has also been shown to emit products that are unacceptable to air and water (Birkholz et al, at 903). By recycling used tires in synthetic turf fields, 25 million post-consumer auto passenger tires have avoided U.S. landfills and many environmental concerns from the inappropriate disposal of rubber tires. (Synthetic Turf: Research Verifies Numerous Usage Benefits and Minimal Health and Environmental Risk; Prepared by the Synthetic Turf Council, November 2007).
In addition to the environmental benefits of using crumb rubber from recycled tires in synthetic turf, synthetic turf has many other environmental benefits. Synthetic turf is a useful tool in land and water conservation efforts and has proven to be safer for the environment than natural grass. Synthetic turf fields can support year-round play without requiring frequent lawn mowing, irrigation, chemical or fertilizer application, or the use of polluting, petroleum-powered machinery generally used in the maintenance of natural grass. Some natural grass fields can require hundreds of thousands of gallons of water per year in order to keep them healthy enough to withstand the rigors of extensive cleated play. What’s more, General Sports Venue and AstroTurf have been leading the industry-wide charge of making synthetic turf a green product through the use of recycled and renewable content. As an example, we are employing a petroleum substitute derived from soybean oil, recovered material derived from coal combustion at electrical power plants, and recycled plastic beverage bottles. Incorporating such renewable, recycled and repurposed components can contribute to LEED points from the U.S. Green Building Council Certification program. The use of post-consumer, recycled tires as infill material and the reduction in water consumption can also contribute additional points to LEED Certification.
