| Releases
& Statements
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
February 29, 2008
Contact: Sarah Krauss
(212) 669-4193; (917) 541-0936
Release #: 007-2008
Public Advocate Gotbaum, Parks and Environmental Advocates:
City Must Test Potentially Toxic Turf
Call on Parks Department to implement immediate moratorium on installation of turf
MANHATTAN - Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, along with New Yorkers for Parks, Natural Resources Defense Council, and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest called on the city to issue an immediate moratorium on the installation of artificial turf, and conduct physical tests of installed turf fields for potential toxins. The state of New Jersey recently shut down a 9-year-old artificial turf field after they found lead contamination in surface dust that originated from the artificial turf fibers.
Last April, Public Advocate Gotbaum, a former New York City Parks Department Commissioner, called for independent testing of rubber pellets that may potentially pose serious health risks to New Yorkers. The rubber pellets, used in more than 70 athletic fields throughout the city, are made from recycled tires that contain chemicals that have been linked to birth defects, cancer and other health problems. The health risks to families and kids playing on the turf remain unknown.
Public Advocate Gotbaum said, “It’s appalling that the Parks Department continued to make plans to install more artificial turf fields even as evidence began to suggest that this type of turf may pose serious health risks. The truth is, no one yet knows for sure what the health implications are with artificial turf. The city should tread carefully.”
Christian DiPalermo, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Parks, said, “In 2006, we issued a position paper on artificial turf calling on the City to proceed with caution. Unfortunately, our warning was not heeded and as we can see more health concerns have arisen that must be addressed in a comprehensive and transparent manner so that all New Yorkers can safely play on the fields. ”
Albert Huang of the Natural Resources Defense Council said, “Installing artificial turf fields in the City before fully assessing their safety is like putting a car on the road without a crash test. It’s shortsighted, and fails to put children’s health first.”
Dave Palmer of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI) said, “At this point, there is simply not enough known about the health risks associated with the use of artificial turf; for the City to move full speed ahead without a hard look at potential risks is undeniably irresponsible.”
In a letter sent yesterday to Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Thomas Frieden and Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Betsy Gotbaum and the advocates requested that the Parks Department issue an immediate moratorium on the installation of artificial turf. They also requested that the Parks Department create a replacement schedule for existing turf fields, regardless of toxicity, because they break down over time and become unusable, and share this schedule with the City Council and community boards. The letter also urged the DOHMH to immediately conduct tests of the different types of artificial turf fields that have been installed in city parks, and expedite the literature review of potential adverse health effects of artificial turf to be completed as soon as possible.
According to the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center, known hazards of artificial turf include heat and turf abrasions, which may harbor infections.
Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, the center director, supports the moratorium on new fields. He also said the turf poses other dangers, besides the exposure to chemicals. Artificial turf fields have been shown to heat up to 160 degrees on hot days, and the Parks Department itself cautions users of these fields, saying, “On hot days, some artificial turf fields may be too hot to play on.”
###
|
