Sacramento Bee, Quwan Spears

Aug 01, 2008 

The Associated Press reported Wednesday children are not at risk for lead exposure from synthetic athletic fields, according to a report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

"A variety of artificial turf products were evaluated for risk exposure to lead, and the bottom line is, parents should not be concerned about harmful levels of lead in artificial turf," said Julie Vallese, a commission spokeswoman. "Go out and play."

The CPSC announcement comes a week after officials in New Jersey closed at least three FieldTurf athletic fields, pending testing for potential health problems.

So far, local area football coaches have not experienced problems with synthetic fields.

"We've had zero problems," Grant coach Mike Alberghini said. "In fact, no one has contacted us or anyone at our school district to let us know if there was a problem."

Added Rio Linda coach Mike Morris: "The only problem we've had is how to better use the machine to fluff up the turf. In terms of it being a health issue, we've have not learned of any issues."

One group, however, is not so sure. The Center for Environmental Health in California reported last month it discovered extreme amounts of lead in several brands of artificial turf.

"My quick take is that the CPSC study is fatally flawed and we're going to continue to pursue our case because lead is a threat to children playing on artificial field," Charles Margulis, a spokesman for the center, told the Associated Press.

Turf manufacturers have insisted their products are safe. Rick Doyle, president of the Synthetic Turf Council, an industry trade group, has said the lead in turf is encapsulated in the blades and neither leaches out nor becomes airborne.