The Whole Story.

The temperatures of the fields at ALSC have been recorded in the past few days and have registered as high as 157 degrees, and that brings to the main topic of this document: environmental and public health issues. The environmental and public health concerns below have been shared over the past months consistently with both the BOE, the MPSD, the public, and the Montclair Township Council. 

These concerns have been the same since last fall when we first became aware of the plan for Woodman Field. A plan that is one of the first grass to artificial turf transitions in decades - and that felled 21 native 100+ year old oaks.

Below, please find information that informs advocacy against plastic chemical grass:

1 - Parents have a right to know what their children are being exposed to, whether via their school environments, foods, or consumer products. 

2 - Parents and children have the right to know about anything that may enter their bodies and give informed consent, or refuse. It’s the only agency we have against the toxic trespass

3 - Indeed we owe most of the laws that protect our kids to what some might call a vocal minority. Please remember to thank your local vocal minority! Each generation has one when it comes to toxic chemicals. Remember lead in children’s products? Industry knew where it was using lead for decades. Fun Fact: in 2016 Field Turf was still selling artificial turf with lead in it. When asked at a congressional hearing if they had lead in their turf, Field Turf answered that a lot of things had lead in them. Remind you of anything else you’ve heard lately?

4 - The precautionary principle should be applied in all that relates to children’s health. Please read more here. “primum non nocere”.

5 - To be good stewards of Montclair, and of New Jersey, we have a responsibility to steward the land we are privileged with, into the future. We acknowledge that the land on which we stand is the ancestral territory of the Lenape People. We pay respect to Indigenous people throughout the Lenape diaspora – past, present, and future – and honor those who have been historically and systemically disenfranchised.

6 - It takes courage, community, and action to solve large problems. The climate crisis is not an individual crisis. Arguments about individual consumer choices (individualism), whataboutisms, doomism, making change sound impossible, questioning what cars senior citizens drive to work, pettiness, and suggestions to focus on other things, will not solve the climate crisis. Not investing in fossil fuels and in petrochemical products is the only thing that will. 

7 - “Rich countries are disproportionately responsible for global warming and must end oil and gas production correspondingly faster.” - Oxfam

8 - Remember the red skies last year? I still haven’t forgotten that surreal experience. Are we in the Anthropocene? The impact of climate change in cities and towns is felt disproportionately by overburdened communities. While there is a lot of wealth in Montclair, we also have heat islands, food deserts, NJDEP overburdened communities, Special Hazard Flood Areas, and other areas of vulnerability that we need more focus to be on given the faster rate at which NJ is experiencing the effects of climate change. The residents surrounding Woodman field are designated as an NJDEP overburdened community. Woodman Field has been transformed into a heat island by the Montclair Board of Education. This means that this neighborhood, like the other OBCs in town, carries a greater environmental burden, and is hotter than other parts of town. Not in a good way :) 

9 - Like all NJ public schools, the Montclair School District is mandated to teach climate change in an evidence based, scientifically accurate way. The Montclair BOE does not have a sustainability and environmental conservation policy. Many other districts do. The NJ school boards association provides templates for these kinds of policies. 

10 - Where communities and systems can make choices that have less carbon impact and that are both climate resilient and sustainable, they must. Where they can’t, they have a responsibility to explore all alternatives and options. 

12 - Plastic Pollution is a global problem. Initiatives such as the Plastic Pollution Act and the Plastic Pollution Treaty exist because plastic is part of the climate crisis, plastic poses threats to human health, and to the environment. From human testicles to breastmilk, from human arteries to bottled water, from tap water to the food we eat, microplastics are migrating into places we never expected: as the International Journal of Impotence Research recently published even in penises.  

13 - The EU has put forward strong legislation on intentionally added microplastics, which includes the prohibition of certain infills for artificial turf, as this paper co-authored by Robert Billot, the lawyer who successfully sued DuPont for PFAS, writes in: The European Union Ban on Microplastics Includes Artificial Turf Crumb Rubber Infill: Other Nations Should Follow Suit

14 - Children are born pre-polluted with over 200 chemicals found in umbilical cords. Chemicals and plastics are being found in placenta. This includes PFAS, also known as forever chemicals. A class of thousands of chemicals. These can be absorbed by inhalation, dermal absorption, and ingestion and they have been covered up for decades. Scientists who attempted to speak up about these were silenced for decades. Artificial turf contains PFAS despite manufacturer claims to the contrary. We have provided a 17 page test to the MPSD that we feel adequately demonstrates why we believe there is PFAS in the turf they have purchased. Instead, they have chosen to rely on a vendor supplied 5 year old test. Several concerned residents wrote about this in the Montclair Local and many have attended Board of Education meetings to share our concern about this broken promise. 

A letter with multiple questions was sent to the BOE and was never replied to. It is precisely because PFAS and microplastics are ubiquitous that we need less PFAS and microplastics; not more. 

15 - The American Chemical regulatory system is relatively new. The Toxic Substances Control Act, established in 1972, relied substantially on voluntary disclosures of chemicals by industry. TSCA has since been strengthened but the EPA is both behind and slow to act. We cannot always wait for the federal government to catch up, which is why towns and States often move faster and enact legislation before EPA moves. 

16 - When both EPA and States move fast to enact legislation about the same chemicals, it’s usually time to pay close attention. It has been said that PFAS appears to be our generation’s Asbestos. There are no safe levels of PFAS. Just like lead. Or tobacco. Or second hand smoke. 

17 - Sports and athletics are an important part of community, health, and wellbeing. Everyone wants all children to have safe educational and athletic facilities. Many of those advocating for healthy and sustainable fields have children or grandkids who play sports. Safety also means safety from unnecessary toxic exposures from materials that are not proven safe. In particular when those exposures are chronic.  

18- Artificial turf is a petrochemical product made with plastics and chemicals. The fake grass blades are made from plastic thread. A football field, is comprised of “approximately 2,500 bobbins” of thread.It then gets coated in chemicals. It is estimated that each artificial turf field contributes up to 1500 CO2e tonnes in total life cycle greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, from cradle to grave artificial turf is toxic to humans and aquatic life. 

To begin with, raw material extraction and production of plastic pellets causes harmful pollution in frontline communities; some referred to as “cancer alley”.  After shedding microplastics and chemicals as it ages on the field, it is then sent to a landfill or to developing countries, where it continues to do its damage by contributing to toxic leachates and microplastics pollution.

19 - There is no requirement to disclose proprietary chemicals used in the production of artificial turf. Yet children play on it. Parents are often reliant on scientists and non-profit advocacy organizations to independently test products to protect their kids from toxic exposures. As parents we make the best choices we can for our kids with the best information we have at the time. We need information to make these choices. manufacturers of synthetic turf do not volunteer this information nor do they welcome independent testing of their products. 

Time and again artificial turf has been found to have PFAS and other chemicals of concern. Communities like ours have installed what they thought was PFAS free turf, only to then realize the claim was false. For example, Portsmouth, NH’s experience led their city council to demand that Field Turf stop making false statements re: PFAS. 

Can you think of any other product parents would accept purchasing for their kids without the assurance and clarity that the product is safe for children? There is no safe level of PFAS exposure. Artificial turf is NOT proven safe. Absence of data does not equal proof of safety. For years we didn’t have enough data about second hand smoke, yet for all those years second hand smoke was truly unsafe to those who were exposed to it. This is why unbiased scientific research and independent tests are needed. We cannot rely on manufacturer assurances and documents supplied by contractors.

20 - A 2022 review of worldwide legislation concluded that “While nearly every country acknowledges the potential health risks posed by heavy metals, microplastics, PAHs, and PFAS chemicals, very few have actually implemented artificial turf and crumb rubber infill regulations and/or established adequate surveillance measures to protect those regularly exposed to the fields.” Since 2022, many more countries, States, towns, and sports clubs, have taken action or spoken up against synthetic turf. 

From voting down projects that included artificial turf, to bans on PFAS in artificial turf and carpeting to moratoriums, to pending legislation, to local bans of artificial turf in landscaping, to outright bans due to water contamination, or even water preservation concerns, communities and legislators are paying attention to the science-based concerns regarding this product. Here are some:

Martha’s Vineyard

Millbrae

Cape May

Vermont

New York

Colorado

Boston

Netherlands

The European Union 

Scotch Plains, NJ

Westfield, NJ

Arlington, Concord, Wayland, Sharon, are some of the communities who have declared moratoriums on Artificial Turf.

NYS Senate - pending bill

Massachusetts - pending bill

California, California, and California

DC

Likewise, major public and pediatric health organizations have spoken up about artificial turf concerns. Indeed, the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center recommends a moratorium on Artificial Turf and wrote to the MPSD to unequivocally recommend AGAINST further installations. As did the National Center for Health Research. 

“The fact that those chemicals are known to be present in turf is enough evidence to say children should not be playing on those surfaces,” Sarah Evans, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine, told The Inquirer, for another report, Risky Play.

“The risk of exposure is too great.”

21 - Montclair has 23 acres of synthetic turf. That’s about 500,000 pounds of plastic plus about 5 million pounds of plastic infill. Every year an artificial turf field can shed up to 3200 pounds of microplastics into the environment, water, air. Microplastics can enter our lungs via inhalation.

22 - Artificial turf is expensive. It needs to be replaced every 8-10 years. Artificial turf is only cheap if we place no value on human health, environmental health, and climate resiliency. A Forbes article described it as How Taxpayers Get Fooled On The Cost Of An Artificial Turf Field.

23 - Artificial Turf is not recycled. Unless you think burning plastic is recycling. What is documented in this Dutch documentary is exactly what happens in the United States in this unregulated polluting fossil fuel industry. Montclair has already sent acres of turf to the dumps. Artificial turf is awful for the environment. These dumps are in other States, in poorer communities. The scraps and unused pieces of artificial turf from Woodman Field are already probably in a dump in Pennsylvania. Artificial turf is so hard to get rid of that the industry is marketing it as a material to use to cap landfills with or to sell used for cheap.

24 - Montclair has a field maintenance problem. Whether they are artificial or grass they are not maintained adequately. There have been serious injuries on artificial turf fields in Montclair. There have been serious injuries on grass fields. Artificial turf is not a magic solution. Artificial turf is falsely advertised to be a “no maintenance” solution. Watchung field, for example, was damaged during a storm in which displaced synthetic infill entered our waterways. Despite recently being replaced, clubs that play on it have already been asking for needed repairs for months due to dangers that are already present there after only a few years of use. 

25 - The data regarding Musculoskeletal injuries on artificial turf does not point to it being a safer option than grass. Indeed the NFLPA stands by its position that natural grass surfaces are preferable. More importantly, the MPSD has not documented nor studied the quantity or rate of injuries on Montclair’s artificial turf fields nor its remaining grass fields. We do not have data from the MPSD to understand whether one type of surface is indeed better, the same, or worse for musculoskeletal injuries here in Montclair. We requested injury reports via OPRA in the fall of ‘23 and nothing has been released. 

It has been documented widely that many studies that conclude artificial turf is safer than grass, are industry funded studies. Here is some data from independent, peer reviewed, studies as well as additional news sources:

The Comparison of Injuries in National Football League Players (2016-2021) based on the Playing Surface: Natural Grass versus : “DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: During NFL games, AT surface poses a higher risk for injuries when compared to GRASS. More specifically, ankle, groin, ACL, MCL injuries, and lower extremity fractures were more common on AT. When comparing AT-SLIT versus AT-NS, AT-SLIT predisposed players to a higher rate of ankle, hamstring, and ACL injuries. Additional work is needed to determine the impact of these injuries on playing career.”

Lower Extremity Injury Rates on Turf versus Natural Grass Surfaces: An Analysis of Professional Football Athletes: “DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: As efforts to improve player safety in professional sports including football heighten, it has been increasingly important to consider potential risk factors, including playing surfaces. Our analysis of the 2021 and 2022 NFL seasons demonstrates a higher incidence rate of injuries on artificial turf surfaces (1.42 injuries/game) compared to natural grass surfaces (1.22 injuries/game). In addition, the odds of more serious injury requiring season-ending surgery was found to be significantly higher on artificial turf compared to natural grass. This study certainly carries limitations in the possibility that the methods of data collection did not capture all sustained injuries and the inability to account for alternative factors which could influence injury rates including injuries occurring in practice environments. Despite these limitations, this study still suggests that risk of injury, particularly serious lower extremity requiring surgical intervention, is elevated on artificial playing surfaces. Additional research is needed in this topic prior to more widespread adoption of turf surfaces in all age groups of football, from professional to youth age football.”

Epidemiological Comparison of ACL Injuries on Different Playing Surfaces in High School Football and Soccer: This 2022 study found ACL injury risk was higher on turf than grass overall for high school players, but there was some variation according to sport.

Incidence of Knee Injuries on Artificial Turf Versus Natural Grass in National Collegiate Athletic Association American Football: 2004-2005 Through 2013-2014 Seasons: This  2019 study was conducted to measure the rates of knee injuries in college football players over the course of 10 years and published in 2019. It examined 5 different knee injuries on grass vs. artificial turf across all 3 divisions of NCAA football. Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tears occurred almost 3 times as often on turf than on grass. Athletes playing at lower levels experienced anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears 1.6 times more often on turf than they did on the grass. There were 142 ACL tears on turf in Divisions 2 and 3 compared to 111 on natural grass despite athletes spending more time on grass. The difference was even greater for PCL tears: 3.3 tears per 10,000 competition exposures (one game or one practice) on turf compared to 1.1 per 10,000 on grass.

Another study, by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment “found a two- to three-fold increase in skin abrasions per player hour on artificial turf compared with natural grass turf. 6 The study authors noted that these abrasions are a risk factor for serious bacterial infections, although they did not assess rates of these infections among the players they studied.”

In 2020 and again thereafter, the NFL Players Association president cited the league’s official injury reports from 2012-2018 to state his case that natural grass fields provide a much lower risk for injuries, compared to artificial surfaces, during practices and games.

This trailer from a 2023 episode of “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” features Dr. Tim Kremchek, an orthopedic surgeon who was the doctor for the Cincinnati Reds for two decades. Kremchek, who volunteers to help monitor high school games in his town, talks about  the “epidemic” of knee injuries he’s seen in high school players since the rise in use of artificial turf. Season 29, Episode 5, is available in its entirety on paid Hulu, Max, and Prime Video.

https://x.com/RealSportsHBO/status/1661144982982635521

Orthopedic surgeons and pediatricians regularly testify at town council meetings in varied municipalities as advocates for natural fields instead of artificial ones, because of what they are seeing in their own medical practices.

Here is more data:

1. Steffen, K., Andersen, T. E., & Bahr, R. Risk of injury on artificial turf and natural grass in young female football players. British journal of sports medicine. 2007; 41 Suppl 1(Suppl 1), i33–i37. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.2007.036665

2. Calloway, S. P., Hardin, D. M., Crawford, M. D., Hardin, J. M., Lemak, L. J., Giza, E., Forsythe, B., Lu, Y., Patel, B. H., Osbahr, D. C., Gerhardt, M. B., Mandelbaum, B. R., & Baldwin, W. W. Injury Surveillance in Major League Soccer: A 4-Year Comparison of Injury on Natural Grass Versus Artificial Turf Field. The American journal of sports medicine. 2019; 47(10), 2279–2286. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546519860522

3. Gould, H. P., Lostetter, S. J., Samuelson, E. R., & Guyton, G. P. (2023). Lower Extremity Injury Rates on Artificial Turf Versus Natural Grass Playing Surfaces: A Systematic Review. The American journal of sports medicine, 51(6), 1615–1621. https://doi.org/10.1177/03635465211069562

4. Guskiewicz, K. M., Weaver, N. L., Padua, D. A., & Garrett, W. E., Jr. Epidemiology of concussion in collegiate and high school football players. The American journal of sports medicine. 2000; 28(5), 643–650. https://doi.org/10.1177/03635465000280050401

5. Hinton RY, Lincoln AE, Almquist JL, Douoguih WA, Sharma KM. Epidemiology of Lacrosse Injuries in High School-Aged Girls and Boys: A 3-Year Prospective Study. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2005;33(9):1305-1314. doi:10.1177/0363546504274148

6. Twomey, Dara M, Petrass, Lauren A, Fleming, Paul, & Lenehan, Kurt. Abrasion injuries on artificial turf: A systematic review. Journal of science and medicine in sport. 2019; 22(5), 550–556. Journal Article, Australia: Elsevier Ltd.

7. Foudy, Julie. Sydney Leroux: Why Turf Is Terrible For Soccer Players. ESPN W. November 13, 2014. https://www.espn.com/espnw/news-commentary/story/_/id/11868149/sydney-leroux-explains-why-turf-terrible-soccer-players

8. Meyers, Michael C. Incidence, Mechanisms, and Severity of Game-Related High School Football Injuries Across Artificial Turf Systems of Various Infill Weights. Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine. 2019; 7(3), 2325967119832878. Journal Article, Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.

9. Robertson, C. M., Williams, S., West, S. W., Starling, L., Kemp, S., Cross, M., & Stokes, K. A. (2022). Influence of playing surface on match injury risk in men’s professional rugby union in England (2013-2019). Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 32(11), 1615–1624. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.14226

There are many factors involved in sports injuries, and while the data is being compiled worldwide, and these varied factors are detailed in articles like this New York Times piece, it is important to note that much like the Montclair Public School District has not engaged in an objective financial analysis of the cost of artificial turf versus natural grass, it has also not conducted any analysis to find the reasons for injuries on BOTH its artificial and natural fields. We value student safety and believe that data and science, not emotions, should drive purchasing decisions when it comes to playing surfaces. 

This recent study appears to point to greater injury rates on artificial turf when compared to grass. Grass is the gold standard for good reason. 

Please refer to our bibliography for more information about this important topic.

26 - Heat from Artificial turf fields is an unfortunate reality and poses a threat not only to players, but also to the surrounding communities. The experience of residents at Woodman Field is similar to those in East Orange next to Columbian Park, as detailed in this 2021 New York Times article. There are also concerns regarding stormwater patterns after the installation of artificial turf due to it being an impervious surface. NJDEP has published a memo regarding both concerns in which they state: “individuals in close proximity to the synthetic turf fields will experience hotter temperatures than they would otherwise from a natural grass field.” 

Woodman field residents are in fact already experiencing hotter temperatures as a result of the many acres of artificial turf installed at the ALSC. The removal of trees has exacerbated that impact. Again, the area surrounding Woodman field is an NJDEP overburdened community and is now defined as a heat island by NJDEP and Sustainable Jersey. Per Sustainable Jersey, “Despite the green color, synthetic turf fields actually absorb high amounts of solar energy due to their plastic makeup and can become extremely hot in the summer. This phenomenon has been known for many years, and was recently documented in the National Public Radio (NPR) article and radio segment: High Temps on Turf Fields Spark Safety Concerns. The NPR article mentions that fields can reach up to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, which can be quite hazardous to people and may also release toxic gasses.”

Heat poses a threat to student athletes. As TURI states: “In sunny, warm weather, artificial turf can become much hotter than natural grass, raising concerns of heat-related illness and skin burns for athletes playing on the fields. The Penn State Center for Sports Surface Research measured surface temperature for infill alone, artificial grass fibers, and a full synthetic turf system. They found that all the materials reached higher temperatures than natural grass. With more hot days associated with climate change, this is a growing concern.  

Heat-related illness can be a life-threatening emergency. Experts note that athletic coaches and other staff need to be educated about heat-related illness and understand how to prevent it, including canceling sport activities when necessary. 

Some school districts are addressing the surface temperature issue directly. For example, the school board of Burlington, MA adopted a policy requiring that an infrared heat gun be used to determine field surface temperature. The policy states conditions under which athletes may use artificial turf fields and when their activities must be moved to grass fields. For example, if the National Weather Service issues a heat advisory, artificial turf cannot be used for P.E. classes if the air temperature is more than 85 degrees and the humidity over 60 percent – then only a grass surface can be used.”

There is no safety signage nor are there warnings affixed to any of the synthetic fields in Montclair. Whereas other communities readily display warning signage related to heat hazards and more. 

As this report from the Office of the Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment in Canberra concludes, “Replacing natural turf with artificial turf is a maladaptive response to the impacts of climate change”

27 - For all of these reasons, as well as the impact of removing 21 veteran Oak trees, we questioned why there was no environmental impact assessment performed at the outset. Executive order 215 was established to ensure that when a construction project in NJ is funded 20% or more by public funds, and that 20% exceeds 1 million, that it automatically triggers an EIA or EIS, depending on the scope of the project. Renovations of existing buildings, unless the footprint is expanded, are excluded from this requirement given their environmental impact has already occurred. Those who submitted this project to the State NJDOE for funding labeled this project as a rehabilitation despite the footprint of the baseball field being dramatically expanded. Neither NJDOE nor NJDEP enforce EO215 adequately. 

It’s worth noting, that a basic renovation proposal of Nishuane Playground by Neglia engineering to the Township, indeed included an EIA. The project at Woodman field was described by an NJDEP official in an email to advocates as going against the State’s own climate resiliency goals. Ultimately, even if the MPSD wasn’t required to do an EIA, why would they not want to? Afterall, children, many students of MPSD live in the community that surrounds Woodman Field. Environmental Impact Assessments are a good thing, they are not to be feared. 

28 - There is a deed notice for contaminants at Woodman field. Fortunato Field has been capped by artificial turf despite sitting on a wellhead overlay protection area. The Montclair BOE has previously been found in violation of this deed notice. The area of known contaminants sits adjacent to the Woodman Field baseball field near the football bleachers on the Essex side of the street. Contaminants can and do migrate. In fact,  since June ‘23 it has been known, thanks to NJDEP required testing due to the area being required to be monitored, that the contamination extended far beyond the known area and all over the entire area of the new baseball field. Indeed new contaminants were found and the entire area has been recommended to be deeded by the assigned LSRP. The June 2023 report concluded:

“Based upon our review of soil analytical data, historic fill on site is beyond the areas identified in the previously submitted Remedial Action Report (RAR), Deed Notice, and RAP-S. Soil samples exhibited exceedances of the Residential Direct Contact (RDC) Soil Remediation Standards (SRS) for benzo[a]pyrene, lead, and arsenic. Soil samples also exceeded the NJ Nonresidential Direct Contact (NRDC) SRS for lead and arsenic. Additionally, exceedances of the default Migration to Groundwater (dMGW) SRS were reported for arsenic, cadmium, lead, silver, zinc, and mercury. Table 1 (below),

illustrates the soil sampling exceedances and Table 2 (attached), contains the complete analytical results for all soil samples.

Recommendations

The previously submitted RAR did not indicate the presence of cadmium, lead, silver, zinc, or mercury in excess of any NJDEP Site Cleanup Criteria (SCC) at the time of submittal. As such, these represent contaminants of concern not previously reported to the NJDEP. It is recommended that the NJDEP be notified of these previously unknown historic fill contaminants.

Additionally, arsenic was detected outside of the indicated extent of arsenic impacted soil in the previously submitted RAR. Due to the presence of historic fill impacts beyond the current Deed Notice area,PennJersey recommends the Deed Notice be revised to include the entire Site as well as the revision of the RAP-S, and capping of the Site occurring with the proposed construction.”

29 - Mounds of this soil have sat exposed for months only forty feet from homes with infants and young children. Contaminants found in the soil in the test from June have included: PAHs, Lead, Arsenic, and more. The MPSD has refused to provide us with a report from soil testing of those mounds performed in January of 2024. We are told that eventually we will be able to obtain this report from NJDEP. Meanwhile, those mounds remain uncovered and dust from those regularly blows on to our own homes. There is NO safe level of lead exposure. 

30 - The NJDEP Science and Research Division has issued several memos re: artificial turf. In 2023 it issued memo #25 regarding contamination of water from PFAS in the artificial turf. The NJDEP Science and research division recommendation in 2023 was: “There is limited data available to make a conclusion about the release of PFAS from AT during its period of active use. The available data shows PFAS as being a component of the material, but the types of PFAS that are present and the potential to have those chemicals released to the environment has not been established. Given the uncertainties, it is advisable to create a plan to evaluate all available options. Although there appears to be some benefits to using AT, a full assessment of optional alternatives should be performed and endpoints such as toxic releases and carbon footprints should appropriately be compared to evaluate the full impact to environmental and human health. These evaluations should include not only the time where the AT is in active use, it should also include an evaluation of the resources used and contaminants, including PFAS, released during the manufacturing process and the end-of-life recycling/waste management process. PFAS released in the plastic manufacturing process through wastewater discharges and stack emissions have been one of the largest sources to the environment, having an impact on both humans and natural resources. Due to the limited studies investigating the specific issue of leaching from AT, it is not entirely possible to assess levels of PFAS that may enter the environment during the relatively short use as an artificial turf product. The release of PFAS during the manufacturing of this material together with the release of PFAS during the decomposition in a landfill (or when discarded on a lot not far from the original use location, as occurred in the

Massachusetts scenario) should also be considered. Although there is some advocacy for recycling this material at end-of-life, there are currently no known facilities that will perform this process for artificial turf (Horsley Witten, 2020).”

These same reasons are behind the recent 2024 artificial turf ban by the Oaks Bluff Department of Health: “Whereas the siting of artificial turf has the potential to release PFAS and metals in drinking water supply areas; and these pollutants have repeatedly threatened surface and ground water quality throughout Massachusetts; and surface and ground water resources contribute to the Oak Bluffs public drinking water supplies;

The Town of Oak Bluffs adopts the following regulation, under its authority as specified in Section 1, as a preventative measure for the purpose of preserving and protecting the quality of public drinking water drawn from our sole-source aquifer and to minimize the risk to public health and the environment.”

31 - The EPA study on recycled rubber crumb is irrelevant to Montclair as thanks to our environmental commission members, recycled tire infill has not been used in artificial turf fields since prior to the Pandemic when it was flagged by them as a material with too many associated environmental and public health concerns. Concerns with recycled tire crumb include lead and carcinogens - as well as proven damage to aquatic life. It’s important to underscore that the EPA study is not a risk assessment nor an epidemiological study, it was an exposure characterization assessment. It did not look at PFAS exposure either. 

That aside, we see that the Artificial Turf Council has cherry picked a few sentences from a large document and is using it to claim its products are safe - despite science that says otherwise. We are dismayed to see parents parrot talking points of the Artificial Turf lobby. 

All who are interested can review documents about recycled rubber crumb infill here and read the whole two volume study here, however, again, this infill has not been used in Montclair since our environmental health leaders spoke up. The Netherlands is poised to phase out artificial turf over health and environmental concerns. Furthermore, please refer to the EU ban of recycled rubber crumb.

32 - Regarding the quantity of Oaks removed: Initially 28 had been marked for removal, then we were told 13 would be removed, then a press release said 15. The final count based on our tree map was 21. The MPSD still says it was 15. We will be advocating for the re-introduction of Oaks to the community.

CONCLUSION: 

The concerns raised by those who have spoken up and against the installation of 3 more acres of artificial turf  are concerns that are shared in communities all over the world and widely documented in mainstream media. 

Below are some of the many articles and studies we have shared via social media on the topic. There are many social media posts because there are many news articles and studies, and again, we believe in the right to know and in informed consent when it comes to children’s health and environmental justice. 

The MPSD and athletic clubs are not forthcoming with the information we have shared above. In fact they have obfuscated the reality that the artificial turf contains PFAS despite assurances that the bid would demand PFAS free turf and their letters in the Fall and Spring have cherry picked science. To the degree of distorting what Mount Sinai’s Children’s Environmental Health Center’s letter so clearly states:

“The Children’s Environmental Health Center of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai strongly discourages the installation of artificial turf playing surfaces and fields due to the uncertainties surrounding the safety of these products and the potential for dangerous heat and chemical exposures.

As pediatricians, epidemiologists, and laboratory scientists, recipients of numerous research grants from the National Institute of Health, and host to one of 10 nationally funded Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units, we receive frequent inquiries from communities regarding the wide-scale use of artificial turf surfaces on school grounds and in park properties. This led us to conduct a review of the risks and

benefits of artificial playing surfaces, during which we found significant gaps in the evidence supporting the safety of artificial turf products. 

Our findings are summarized below and in our online resources accessible at https://sinaiexposomics.org/artificial-turf/ and https://www.healthyplayingsurfaces.org/ and via webinar on the Environmental Health Impacts of Synthetic Turf and Safer Alternatives.

In the pediatric health world and in the medical community, insufficient data, or absence of data, does not equate to proof of safety. Children deserve to play on surfaces proven safe. Especially when those surfaces contain materials they ingest, inhale and are exposed to via dermal absorption. Acres of material that contains PFAS and microplastics, and that will go on to pollute other communities when we dispose of it, should not be our community’s first choice. Ever. In fact we believe every other option should be explored and that the choice of natural grass consultants is wide and varied; including some NJDOE staff themselves who manage districts with SFMA award winning grass fields elsewhere.SFMA awards are given to "natural grass fields that exhibit excellent playability and safety and whose managers utilize innovative solutions, effectively use their budgets, and have implemented a comprehensive agronomic program."

We believe that if other school districts and towns in NJ can do this, so can we. Invest in training grounds people. Give jobs to good people rather than money to the fossil fuel industry. As this year’s MHS commencement speaker said: Invest in yourselves! 

Our goal is to inform the public, promote progress, environmental conservation, and action towards a more sustainable Montclair. A Montclair that invests in itself and in its future, sustainably. 

Threatening us, threatening elected officials should they align with us, trolling us on our petitions and in comments online, subjecting us to repeated pranks, posting antisemitic and sexually explicit comments on our petitions, will not stop us. We encourage all to participate in a constructive dialogue about how we can confront the reality of climate change and toxic petrochemical exposures as a community, for all our children, not just some, and for all our residents, not just some. 

The actions of the BOE and the MPSD at Woodman Field go against not only the State mandated climate reality curriculum, but also the State’s larger climate resiliency goals. 

We are all neighbors who share the same water, soil, and air, and we should all work towards ensuring that environmental regulations are upheld, especially given the federal regulatory lag in how these regulations apply to consumer products. Artificial turf is a consumer product and we do not believe that it should be self-regulated by industry or by those who install it, given the above facts and science.

Ps: If it’s the zoning issues and legal issues you are interested in, please see addendum. 

PARTIAL LIST OF RECENT NEWS ARTICLES & STUDIES:

The Intercept:Toxic PFAS Chemicals Found in Artificial Turf. The presence of the PFAS chemicals in turf adds to growing concerns about the grass replacement that covers more than 1,000 acres around the country.

Propublica / New Yorker: How 3M Executives Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe Decades ago, Kris Hansen showed 3M that its PFAS chemicals were in people’s bodies. Her bosses halted her work. As the EPA now forces the removal of the chemicals from drinking water, she wrestles with the secrets that 3M kept from her and the world.

Philadelphia Inquirer: RISKY PLAY. A stew of toxic chemicals lurks in artificial turf. Some experts worry they could be linked to cancer in young athletes.

Philadelphia Inquirer: ‘Forever Fields’: How Pennsylvania became a dumping ground for discarded artificial turf

Philadelphia Inquirer: FIELD OF DREAD. Six former Phillies died from the same brain cancer. We tested the Vet’s turf and found dangerous chemicals.

Philadelphia Inquirer: Eight takeaways from The Inquirer’s yearlong investigation into ‘forever chemicals’

Politico: ‘Our community has been deceived’: Turf wars mount over PFAS. Across the country, bitter fights are playing out over synthetic grass surfaces. Some towns already have buyer’s remorse after finding PFAS in their turf, while others have put plans to install their own on hold.

Guardian: Athletes likely to have higher levels of PFAS after play on artificial turf – study Research raises more questions over safety of material that health advocates say is made with dangerous levels of ‘forever chemicals’

Washington Post: Turf fields may have ‘forever chemicals.’ Should kids be playing on them?

The New Republic: Artificial Turf Is Tearing Towns Apart. The PFAS in playing fields—and the open question of what they might do to kids—is turning into a culture war.

NYTimes: As Climate Change Fears Grow, a Real Fight Over Fake Turf

ABC News: Debate about safety of synthetic turf and 'forever chemicals' raises concerns for some. Many synthetic turf fields are believed to be made with PFAS.

AP: Biden administration sets first-ever limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water

PENN Environment Research & Policy Center: Dangerous Play: Studies find harmful ‘forever chemicals’ in artificial turf fields

The City: An Actual Turf War Erupts in Washington Heights as Parents Protest Synthetic Grass. 

The Vineyard Gazette: Oak Bluffs Board of Health Bans Turf Fields

The Commonwealth Beacon:The term ‘turf’ is misleading. The material is basically a scrap chemical product

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai:Mount Sinai Experts Support Communities by Advocating for Natural Playgrounds and Fields over Hazardous Artificial Turf Surfaces

The Intercept: The Plastic Industry's Long Fight to Blame Pollution on You

Democracy Now: PFAS Cover-Up: How 3M Hid Risks of Forever Chemicals & "Gaslit" Scientist Who Tried to Sound Alarm

Bloomberg: The Forever Chemical Scandal | Bloomberg Investigates

Last Week Tonight/John Oliver: PFAS: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Last Week Tonight/John Oliver: Plastics: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

The Atlantic: The Dangerous Pileup of Artificial Turf: Recycling scrap tires into synthetic turf was supposed to be an environmental win.

PENN STATE: Artificial Turf: Health and Environmental Impacts

York Daily Record:'Running out of room': How old turf fields raise potential environmental, health concerns. As fields are replaced, billions of pounds of rubber and synthetic fiber are piling up because the U.S. has no plan for disposing of this product.

Reuters: Turf wars: The courtroom battle over artificial turf safety may be closer than we think

Politico: EPA-linked consultant undercuts agency’s PFAS concerns: An industry toxicologist promoting artificial turf fields has repeatedly cited her work for EPA while downplaying the risks of “forever chemicals” used to produce plastic grass blades, making controversial claims often at odds with the agency’s own findings.

Forbes: How Taxpayers Get Fooled On The Cost Of An Artificial Turf Field

The Guardian: Artificial turf potentially linked to cancer deaths of six Phillies ball players – report. The lawn replacement – largely fallen out of favor in professional sports these days – contains large amounts of toxic chemicals

Yahoo News: From AstroTurf to 'frankenturf': Inside the NFL's behind-the-scenes battle to fix its turf problem

NJ.Com: Turf wars raging as N.J. residents face off over replacing grass with artificial fields

New Scientist: Athletes may have higher risk of concussion on artificial grass. An analysis of different outdoor playing surfaces suggests that falls on artificial turf may pose a greater concussion risk than natural grass.

Neuroscience News: Synthetic Playing Fields for Sports May Pose Increased Risk of Concussion in Youth. Summary: Synthetic turf football fields have a greater impact decelerating force than traditional grass fields, presenting an increased risk of injuries, including concussions, due to contact with the surface. Source: American Academy of Pediatrics

NYTimes: Is NFL’s injury risk similar on artificial turf versus grass? 

Excerpt: “Big picture, the lower extremity injury rates between natural grass and synthetic surfaces over the past few years has decreased to the point where it’s almost nonexistent right now,” said Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president of communications, public affairs & policy; health & safety initiatives. “So, as a general matter, looking simply at a synthetic surface or a natural grass surface, it doesn’t really yield us a whole lot.”

Asked for the data behind the claim, the league declined to provide it.

The assertion runs counter to some published medical literature. A 2018 article in the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine contends the rates of lower extremity injuries are higher on synthetic turf among NFL players.

A 2019 study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine points out, “playing on artificial turf increases the risk of lower-body injury” and that “field surface has a causal effect on injury rates due to synthetic turf’s lack of ability to release an athlete’s shoe.”

Dr. Tim Kremchek, an orthopedic surgeon for the Cincinnati Reds for 26 years, called Miller’s comment an “irresponsible statement.”

Forbes: NFL Players Association Requests Natural Grass Fields Following Aaron Rodgers’ Season-Ending Injury

NYTimes: Concussion Report Highlights Field Maintenance: A new report compiled by the Concussion Legacy Foundation called attention to the link between head injuries and poorly maintained fields, especially the growing number of those made of synthetic turf. The foundation urged groundskeepers, athletic directors and sports associations to treat their fields as seriously as other protective sports equipment.

Forbes: Ground Zero: The Dangers That Artificial Turf May Pose To Football Players' Brains

Mass General Brigham: Turf vs. Grass Injuries: What Athletes Need to Know

Medpage: Turf War: Study Backs Natural Grass as Less Injurious Than Artificial Surface — And some fake grasses appear more dangerous than others

PUBLIC TESTIMONY, POSITION STATEMENTS, STUDIES:

Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center: Position Statement on the Use of Artificial Turf Surfaces

US Senate Environment & Public Works Committee: Hearing: Examining PFAS as Hazardous Substances

Sierra Club Position Statement on Artificial Turf

Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc, FAAP, Professor, Director, Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good, Director, Global Observatory on Planetary Health, Boston College

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University

Playing on Plastic: Artificial Turf Hazards and Safer Alternatives, By Rachel Massey, ScD and Lindsey Pollard, MS

TURI: Artificial Turf Fact Sheet

Mark Ruffalo Testifies To Congress About Toxic PFAS

Senator Merkley on the Danger of Nanoplastics and Microplastics in Water – Opening Statement

Chairman Carper's Opening Statement: Hearing on PFAS as Hazardous Substances

WEBINARS & VIDEOS:

PFAS & Artificial Turf Kyla Bennett

Collaborative for Health & Environment: Environmental Health Impacts of Synthetic Turf and Safer Alternatives

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility: Plastics Revealed: Health Risks, Environmental Impacts, and the Path to Solutions

Dutch Public Broadcasting: The PFAS scandal

Vice: The Hidden Chemicals Destroying American Farms | VICE Special Report

CCE and the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER): The Problem with Artificial Turf

Zero Waste Ithaca: The True Costs of Artificial Turf: Experts Discuss Cornell University’s New “PFAS-Free” Project

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER): Amy Griffin: Exposing the Health Dangers of Artificial Turf

TURI: Natural Grass Organic Athletic Fields in Springfield, Mass.

Dutch Public Broadcasting: What happens to plastic and polluting artificial turf?

ANC 3/4G 02 Community Meeting - Natural Grass Playing Fields: Are They Viable?, May 30, 2024

ANC 3/4G 02 Meeting: "Is Artificial Turf Safe for Our Kids and Our Environment?," March 26, 2024

ANC 3/4G 02 Community Meeting, Artificial Turf vs Natural Grass: A Comparative Look, April 9, 2024