Schools – Public & Private | Artificial Grass & Synthetic Lawn Industry INFO

FIFA President States – Future Secure for Synthetic Sports Fields

SportsField Management

Synthetic Surface Update

by Suz Trusty

Research, safety and the future of artificial turf

Recent announcements have once again put synthetic field systems in the spotlight. Perhaps the most assertive comments were made by Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) president Joseph S. Blatter on a German TV show, “Inside Sport” on October 5, 2009 and rapidly spread through the worldwide sports community. An excerpt from the German newspaper, “Die Welt” reports Blatter saying, “…that artificial turf is the ‘future of football,’ as well as claiming that ‘most countries around the world will play on artificial turf one day because it can be used 24 hours a day, seven days a week.’”

PHOTOS BY STEVE TRUSTY.

More research on grooming synthetic fields will add additional data to that already compiled.

Research will assess the impact of painting markings on synthetic surfaces as compared to markings incorporated into the playing surface.

Those comments followed the report of the conclusion of a study conducted by the German Sport University of Cologne, stating that, “well-maintained artificial pitches have no measurable effect on the game.”

Expanded sports field-centered research initiatives on the U.S. side are also creating a stir. Penn State has teamed with FieldTurf in a five-year commitment to sports surface research. Dr. Andy McNitt, associate professor of soil science for Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, will serve as director of the new Center for Sports Surface Research.

The University of Tennessee (UT) has partnered with AstroTurf to create the Center for Safer Athletic Fields, geared to research comparing natural grass playing surfaces to synthetic turf systems. Key researchers for this center are Dr. John Sorochan, associate professor and turfgrass specialist with the department of plant sciences in the University of Tennessee College of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources, and Dr. Jim Brosnan, assistant professor and turfgrass specialist.

McNitt says the Penn State research will center on synthetic and natural turf systems, primarily outdoors, but with indoor study as research directs, and expanding into other sports surfaces, initially including track and basketball. The University of Tennessee will research outdoor systems, according to Sorochan.

Both centers are open to take on other partners in the future as they seek to broaden the research to explore all aspects that impact the surfaces and the athletes. Both will test a myriad of different synthetics, those commercially available and those in development. Sorochan says, “For natural turf, we’ll use five different rootzones with the transition zone grasses: blue, rye and bermuda.” Though Penn State is in the cool-season zone, McNitt says, “We do have some bermuda plots installed here that are doing well. Our window of testing is just shorter.”

Hot topics

Heat is an ongoing issue. Though it’s not a factor when it’s cloudy or during the evenings, it’s fairly well documented that, on sunny days, synthetic surfaces get significantly hotter than natural grass. The heat goes through the shoe and into the feet and must be dissipated. While efforts are ongoing in alerting trainers, coaches, athletes and parents to monitor this, research will focus on an effective way to control it.

Alternative infill products, such as this natural infill, will undergo testing for multiple factors.

Alternatives in infill will continue to be researched, with the heat issue one part of that equation. Additional testing will look at playability, hardness, wearability, off-gassing, leaching and how the various materials hold up over time.

Safety is a top topic, with both centers focusing on human movement and how the athlete and playing surface interact. McNitt says, “Traditionally, the kinesiologists’ research has gone to the bottom of the shoe, and our studies have gone to the bottom of the shoe. We’ll be wiring athletes and having them perform maneuvers and working with cadavers in similar studies to see the actions and reactions and gauge the effect of varying surfaces on different joints with different types of shoes and cleats. The challenge will be trying to limit all the other variables: temperature, moisture, all the maintenance procedures that impact natural turf and those with synthetics, such as the age of the system, the density of the infill and whether it’s been groomed recently.”

Some of the research will key on the environmental impacts for all types of surfaces, with many aspects to explore, including leachate, carbon sequestration, ecology and recycling. Research will include further study into off gassing, the release of certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by components of the synthetic systems and the crumb rubber.

Another hot topic is wear. Sorochan says, “We’ll be simulating multiple levels of wear from one sport to multiple sport fields, through all the levels of athlete size and skill, from premium game-only fields to daily use fields. We’ll factor in non-sports events, too. While we can’t simulate every condition, the transition zone does provide some of the extremes.”

Researchers will continue to study synthetic field system grooming techniques, timing and frequency under various conditions and field use levels.

Performance is a major issue, from the point of construction or installation throughout the life of the field. This encompasses multiple areas of research from the natural or synthetic materials used, construction and/or installation procedures and long-term maintenance.

Accessing the data

University-based research includes recording testing results with the data available industrywide. McNitt says Penn State has been tracking the results of grooming on synthetic surfaces for seven years, with all but the current year’s data posted on the Web site: www.ssrc.psu.edu.

Quantifiable research data can address issues that spark widespread public and media attention, such as the concerns about MRSA and synthetic turf. Two Penn State studies: A Survey of Microbial Populations in Infilled Synthetic Turf Fields, and Survival of Staphylococcus aureus on Synthetic Turf, also are posted on the Web site.

ASTM standards

The issue of lead content in synthetic turf fibers prompted action in multiple sectors, including field owners and producers, testing laboratories, university researchers and governmental regulatory agencies. Initially, there was confusion over testing procedures, as different results occurred from different methods. Additionally, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission asked the industry to remove all intentionally added lead from turf fibers. Subsequently, ASTM International formed a subcommittee to address these issues and has issued a new standard: ASTM F2765, Specification for Total Lead Content in Synthetic Turf Fibers. ASTM announced another task group has been formed to “address the environmental and health issues related to synthetic turf infill materials.

Moving forward

As research and testing move forward, and standards and certification set industry benchmarks, innovation is sure to follow. Researchers expect significant data to become available early in the process. Industry suppliers anticipate the ability to use this data to identify key areas of performance and make ongoing adaptations to integrate them into product development. Sports field managers will gain a greater body of knowledge for comparison of all sports field systems to more effectively assist their facilities in making decisions on new fields and retaining top performance on existing fields.

The author is a contributing editor for SportsField Management.

http://www.sportsfieldmanagementmagazine.com/article.php?id=4474

ASGi December 10, 2009 ASTM, Artificial Grass, CPSC, Crumb Rubber, ESTO, FIFA, Field Related Info, Heat, Market, Parks & Rec, Schools - Public & Private Artificial Grass, Artificial Grass Fields, artificial turf, Artificial Turf Georgia, Artificial Turf Market, ASTM, CPSC, EPA, Field Related Info, FIFA, Heat, lead, MRSA, synthetic grass, synthetic turf, Synthetic Turf Council No Comments

Artificial Grass – Synthetic Turf Sports Field Infill Study by EPA Due Out Soon

updated 4:42 a.m. PT, Thurs., June 4, 2009

Original Post at msnbc: [ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31099900//]

SAN FRANCISCO – The federal government is reconsidering whether sports fields and playgrounds made from ground-up tires could harm children’s health after some Environmental Protection Agency scientists raised concerns, documents show.

The EPA is concluding a limited study of air and surface samples at four fake-surface fields and playgrounds that use recycled tires — the same material used under the Obama family’s new play set at the White House.

Although the EPA for years has endorsed recycled-rubber surfaces as a means of decreasing playground injuries, its own scientists now have pointed to research suggesting potential hazards from repeated exposure to bits of shredded tire that can contain carcinogens and other chemicals, according to internal EPA documents.

The scientists cited gaps in scientific evidence, despite other reviews showing little or no health concern, and urged their superiors to conduct a broad health study to inform parents on kids’ safety.

Results from the agency’s limited study, which began last year, are expected within weeks.

“From everything I’ve been able to see, I’m not sure there’s an imminent hazard but it’s something we’re investigating,” said Michael Firestone, EPA’s head of children’s health protection. “It’s critical to take a look at all the data together.”

The government hasn’t decided whether broader testing is necessary.

Easy on the bones, great for recycling
Synthetic sports surfaces are easy on the bones and great for recycling, increasingly popular for their resiliency and for their weatherproof, low-maintenance qualities. But communities from New Jersey to Oregon have raised concerns about children touching, swallowing or inhaling lead, metals and chemicals like benzene, zinc and breathable particles from synthetic fields and play yards.

Last week, New York state officials said they found no significant health or environmental concerns in a study of leaching and breathable air above sports fields with so-called tire crumb, tiny rubber infill pellets that help anchor the synthetic grass blades. Other local studies have reached similar conclusions, examining artificial grass or tire crumb. Several have recommended additional research.

“If they really find it’s something toxic, I would be concerned,” said Alejandro Arroyo, a teacher watching his high school students from June Jordan School for Equity play soccer at San Francisco’s Crocker Amazon Park. The scent of tire rubber wafted over the busy, five-field complex as a dozen third-graders flopped onto artificial turf infused with gravel-sized, black rubber.

“We practice here, we eat lunch here,” Arroyo said. “Everybody does that. It’s a family park.”

Scrap tire mulch cushions the ground under the Obamas’ new play set at the White House. It was recommended by the National Recreation and Park Association, which relies on the industry’s safety assurances and recommendations by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for cushioning the impact of falls, said Richard Dolesh, public policy officer for the park association.

But New York City officials say their new sports fields no longer will use tire crumbs. Connecticut asked the EPA to study the matter shortly after the EPA’s Denver regional office recommended the same.

‘Nobody has the evidence’
The EPA memo was sent to Washington from the Denver office in January 2008, saying that until more was known, the EPA should take a neutral stance instead of sanctioning recycled tires for play areas. The documents, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, were provided to The Associated Press by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, an advocacy group that objects to the EPA’s endorsement of using recycled tires without a broad scientific risk evaluation.

“It appears that there are valid reasons to take a broader perspective of all potential risks associated with crumb rubber” through a full-blown health study, said the memo from Assistant Regional Administrator Stephen Tuber.

Withdrawing the EPA’s endorsement would be premature, EPA spokesman Dale Kemery said.

“Nobody has the evidence at this point” to scientifically justify pulling back, he said.

The agency’s limited study won’t be definitive either, but along with studies in New Jersey, California, Connecticut and New York could help determine whether more research is needed.

The Synthetic Turf Council, an advocacy trade group, says laboratory-based claims of toxicity don’t reflect actual conditions.

“The science is clear that synthetic turf crumb rubber infill fields do not present a human health or environmental risk,” said Rick Doyle, president of the group.

Older fields may be riskier
The Consumer Product Safety Commission concluded last summer that synthetic fields pose no lead hazard for kids. It tested turf fibers for lead at a handful of fields. It did not examine chemicals in tire crumbs interspersed with the turf, or playgrounds where children handle mulch made from shredded tires.

A health advisory from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said older fields may be riskier for lead as wear kicks up turf dust. Not all turf fibers contain lead. The CDC urges eliminating all nonessential uses of lead, which can cause neurological damage in children.

Chemicals in recycled tires could vary by location because tire manufacturers differ, EPA scientists said.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who had criticized the CPSC’s effort and pressed the EPA for a comprehensive investigation, welcomed the environmental agency’s role.

“This is not about creating panic among parents or calling for the closure of fields made from synthetic turf,” she said in an e-mail. But people “need accurate answers about the safety and health effects of these fields to make the best possible decisions about where children and others are playing.”

ASGi June 5, 2009 Air Quality Standards, Crumb Rubber, EPA, Industry News, Infill Solutions, Parks & Rec, Schools - Public & Private, Testing Add new tag No Comments

Some East Coast Cities Say No to Artificial Turf Fields
Money, not safety or health concerns, deciding issue

While health concerns involving lead from the turf are frequently raised, money is often the deciding issue, officials involved with the votes said.

On Feb. 8, a $38 million school bond referendum for infrastructure repairs, including three artificial turf fields, failed in Mamaroneck, N.Y., by 80 votes out of 4,440.

“The forces that came together were the bad economy, and the opposition to the synthetic turf put it over the top,” said Linnet Tse, school board president for the Mamaroneck district. “A number of people said it was just not the time, that it was not essential.” The group that opposed the bond for environmental concerns was relatively small, she said.

In December, voters in another part of Westchester County, Irvington, rejected their school district’s $6 million field renovation bond proposal, which included an artificial turf field, 1,358 to 387.

“I think the overwhelming reason that the bond issue for the fields did not pass was the overall economy combined with the very high tax burden in Irvington,” said Tanya Hunt, president of the school board. “But health issues did affect the vote.”

Also in December, the Borough of New Providence, N.J., rejected a resolution for park improvements that included an artificial turf field.

Earlier in 2008, the Pelham Union Free School District and the Hendrick Hudson School District, both in Westchester, passed bond issues for school infrastructure work, but simultaneous votes for artificial turf fields failed.

ASGi March 3, 2009 ASTM, Artificial Turf Yarn Fibers, Connetticut, Crumb Rubber, Field Related Info, Health & Environment, Lead & Heavy Metals, MA, NY Legislation, Schools - Public & Private artificial turf, cities, crumb rubber infill, CT, field, greenwich town, hazards, ordinances, safety No Comments

Visit ASGi at the Green Schools Summit in Anaheim!

Visit ASGi in our Booth
in Aisle 400

Find out Show Details
HERE

THIS WEEK IN Los Angeles
December 8-10, 2008
Anaheim Convention Center
Anaheim, CA

Building learning environments for our green future

ASGi December 8, 2008 Calif Water, Event, Schools - Public & Private 2008, Artificial Grass, california, Event, GREEN, schools, show No Comments

You Gotta GO Green! – School Summit – Dec 8-10 – Anaheim, CA

Building Learning Environments for Our Green Future:

The Green California Schools Summit & Expo – Dec 8-10 in ANAHEIM

Over three days, December 8 – 10, 2008, the Anaheim Convention Center will be home to the Green California Schools Summit, the largest green schools conference and exposition in the nation. With a program that covers every aspect of healthy, sustainable schools – from green building and facilities management to developing green curriculum – the Summit will bring together educators, representatives of local schools and districts, state educational regulators, as well as hundreds of innovative companies and organizations.

The first Green California Schools Summit, which took place last December, broke all records for size and attendance and captured the essence and spirit of this rapidly growing trend. This year’s Summit promises to be even more comprehensive, now that the greening of California’s schools is well underway.

The Summit is guided by an advisory board co-chaired by Rosario Marin, California Secretary of State and Consumer Services; Dr. David Long, California Secretary of Education; and David Thorman, State Architect. It will provide three days of networking, learning and planning. The Summit and Exposition will have over 200 exhibitors, and an educational program featuring a complete offering of workshops, panels and dozens of breakout sessions.

The green school construction market is expanding at a pace that few sectors can match, increasing 65 percent each year, and green facilities are helping school districts save millions of dollars. In the face of reduced budgets and off-the-chart increases in energy, water and transportation costs, schools have more reasons to go green than ever – including the increased student and teacher attendance and productivity that come with green, healthy learning environments.

The Summit’s educational program will include topics such as green school design and construction, operations and maintenance, financing operations, green curriculum and much, much more. Case studies and best practices will be presented by panels and individual experts from the education, non-profit, professional and private sectors. They will offer hands-on, outcome-based tools and information on planning, financing, building, operating, maintaining and learning in high performance schools.

“There’s so much new technology, so much information out there that needs to be simplified and communicated,” said State Architect David Thorman. “It is extremely valuable to have a conference that focuses just on green schools.”

A full day of pre-conference workshops will take place on December 8. These six-hour classes will provide in-depth, hands-on training for professionals committed to greening California’s K-12 schools. There will be three workshops on green curriculum resources, a workshop on “Paying for Your Green School,” another on “Sustainable Operations and Maintenance. There will be workshops on LEED and CHPS green schools rating systems and more. The exhibit hall will feature over 200 companies and organizations showing green schools products, services and information.

With more than a third of the nation’s students, and aggressive stances on environmental protection at every level of government, there is little doubt that California will lead the nation’s growing green schools movement for decades to come. The Green California Schools Summit & Expo offers a unique opportunity to discover best practices and new technologies and services.

For more information on the, visit http://www.green-technology.org/gcschools/index.html. Or call Eric Rennie at 626-577-5700.

The Green California Schools Summit is produced by Green Technology.

ASGi November 25, 2008 Event, GREEN, Schools - Public & Private artificial turf, global warming, green shows, leeds, school summit, synthetic turf fields No Comments

You Should Be A Part of the 2008 Green California Schools Summit

April 30, 2008

Dear Colleagues:

I am excited to announce that the Prospectus for the 2008 Green California Schools Summit is now available. Click here to download a copy.http://www.green-technology.org/gcschools/images/GCASchools_08_Prospectus.pdf

As our advisors put it, the 2007 Summit “exceeded all expectations” and emerged as as the nation’s largest and most comprehensive event focused exclusively on green schools and the full range of products and services that they need. You can read Green Technology magazine’s recap of the Summit by clicking here.
http://www.green-technology.org/green_technology_magazine/schools_summit07.htm

As you may recall, California has undertaken the largest public school construction initiative in the history of the U.S. Combine this with the commitments to energy efficiency, reducing carbon footprint, and creating healthy environments that have been made at state and local levels, and it’s clear that this is a marketplace like no other.

One reflection of this is the fact that the State Allocation Board, which is responsible for determining the allocation of state resources (proceeds from General Obligation Bond Issues and other designated State funds) used for the new construction and modernization of local public school facilities, will hold a meeting during the Summit, to ensure that all its members can be exposed to the latest green products and services.

We’re expecting this event to fill up quickly. Please contact me soon to ensure that you have as many options as possible regarding your participation.

Warm Regards,

Nancy Miller
National Sales Director
323-936-7125
nmiller@green-technology.org

PS: Details of the event are available here: http://www.green-technology.org/gcschools