About artificial Turf

The grass may be fake, but the harm is very real.

What is artificial turf?

  • Artificial turf consists of plastic “blades of grass” attached to a plastic backing which is coated in acrylic, polyurethane, and/or latex, after which the spaces between the blades are filled with an infill material, usually crumb rubber made from old tires. Source

  • Artificial turf was originally called ChemGrass when it was developed by Monsanto in the 1960s, and used in indoor, enclosed sports stadiums that had difficulty growing natural grass. Source

Why are people concerned about its safety?

  • There is an overwhelming body of research that shows that artificial turf has negative impacts on both human and environmental health.

  • In July 2024 the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center stated that it “recommends against 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.”

Harmful chemicals

  • Artificial turf has been repeatedly proven to contain hundreds of harmful chemicals like lead, heavy metals, benzene, arsenic, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), PFAS, and phthalates, some of which can cause cancer (carcinogens) and nervous system damage (neurotoxins), and are endocrine disruptors linked to impaired reproductive development, immune dysfunction, and thyroid and cardiovascular disease. Source, Source, Source

  • These chemicals have been found not only in the crumb rubber infill, but even in new “safer” alternatives which have been found to contain carcinogens and neurotoxins like lead and PAHs.

  • Manufacturers are not required by law to reveal all of the chemicals used in creating artificial turf.

  • Exposure to these toxic chemicals has been linked repeatedly to long-term health problems, including heartbreaking incidences of cancer at abnormal rates in young athletes, college athletes, and professional athletes who have played on artificial turf.

Injuries

  • According to the National Center for Health Research, across numerous studies that have examined the rate of injuries in athletes in different sports at all ages and levels of play, the findings have shown clearly that the incidence of injuries was far higher on artificial turf than on natural grass. Multiple studies have examined the frequency of knee injuries, ankle injuries, concussions, and abrasions, and found that not only do these injuries occur more frequently on artificial turf, they were also more serious and more difficult to recover from. Source, Source, Source

High Heat

  • Temperatures of over 160° F have been recorded on artificial turf playing surfaces, significantly higher than the actual air temperature, and 20-50° F higher than natural grass in the same conditions, which has a natural cooling effect as its blades release water vapor as temperatures climb. Source, Source

  • According to the Mount Sinai Report, “Vigorous play in these conditions conveys a very real risk of burns, dehydration, heat stress, or heat stroke. Children are less able to regulate their body temperature than adults, making them particularly susceptible to conditions of extreme heat.”

  • This can lead to a loss of field usage, even on moderately hot days in the late spring and early autumn, when it becomes unsafe to play on. Source

  • Like asphalt, artificial turf fields contribute to the “heat island effect”, in which communities close to the fields become hotter than surrounding areas; scientific studies have shown that daytime air temperatures can increase between 1 and 7 degrees when natural grass is replaced with artificial turf. Source

Negative Environmental Impacts

  • Runoff

    • — Artificial Turf installation involves compacting the ground below, which causes higher volumes of stormwater runoff, contributing to flooding and stormwater pollution, while the remaining topsoil is irreparably damaged and turned into an ecological wasteland

    • — Stormwater runoff has been shown to carry off the many dangerous chemicals in the artificial turf materials, as well as microplastics broken down from the grass blades - a study published in October 2023 found staggeringly high levels of microplastics in river and ocean waters, and that artificial turf ranks among the top sources for microplastic pollution, releaasing 16,000 tons of microplastics per year.

  • Recycling

Professional athletes are against artificial turf

  • The NFL Players Association has asked to only play on natural grass, stating that artificial turf causes “unnecessary injuries,” especially non-contact injuries of the legs (e.g., meniscus tears) and abrasion burns (“turf burns”). In their statement, they said “moving all stadium fields to high quality natural grass surfaces is the easiest decision the NFL can make. The players overwhelmingly prefer it and the data is clear that natural grass is simply safer than artificial turf.”

  • FIFPRO, the worldwide representative organization for 65,000 professional soccer players, has released a statement confirming that they “strongly prefer playing on natural grass instead of artificial,” citing high injury rates and difficulty recovering.

  • The US Men’s Soccer Team has a longstanding stance against artificial turf, where both the players and coaches have been outspoken about it being bad for athletes’ safety and bad for play - “Former U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann especially hated [synthetic] turf and did most everything in his power to keep his team from playing on it.” (Source) They have even gone as far as to lay temporary natural grass over existing artificial turf soccer fields to avoid playing on artificial turf.

  • The US Women’s Soccer Team has refused to play on artificial turf, citing the differences in play as well as the high rates of injury as a risk they are unwilling to take. When taking this stance, they received support from the US National Soccer Team Players Association, who said in a statement that “playing on artificial turf changes the game’s fundamentals.. to play the women’s world cup on artificial turf would be a serious mistake. A bipartisan group of 13 US Senators also wrote a letter in support, stating that “artificial turf both increases the risk of serious injury and fundamentally changes the way the game is played” and that “FIFA itself has recognized the inferiority of [artificial] turf to natural grass... male athletes routinely refuse to play on artificial turf, deeming it unacceptable”

What’s the alternative? Natural Grass

  • According to a 2022 report on organically managed grass athletic fields  by the Green Building Alliance, case studies have found that “when communities invest in organic management of natural grass, or even just use some of the key best practices of sustainable grass management, they can achieve a substantial increase in playable hours.”

  • This was documented in several cities, including in Springfield, Massachusetts, where an organic program for sports field management started in 2014 has resulted in a significant improvement in soil and grass conditions and increase in hours of recreational use, while allowing them to eliminate the need for pesticides and protect water quality in the nearby Connecticut River.

  • Natural Grass is far better for the environment - it actually helps, rather than harms, the environment by having a cooling efffect, oxygenating the air, and capturing carbon.

  • Natural grass is a critical part of green infrastructure, which helps to enhance both the resiliency and sustainability of the natural environment and citizens’ quality of life.

    • — Green infrastructure is a key component of flood mitigation, because it helps to absorb rainfall, reducing stormwater runoff and flooding in streets, and preventing stormwater from overwhelming pipe networks.

    • — Green infrastructure also improves ecosystem functioning, protects biodiversity, promotes health, supports sustainable land and water management, and boosts the local green economy.

  • Natural greenspaces in densely populated areas are critically important for environmental and human health because they can provide soil stability, water regulation, nutrient availability, plant and soil symbiosis, organic matter decomposition, net primary productivity, pest control, and soil biodiversity - all key for the maintenance and long-term sustainability of these greenspaces for recreational use, but also for the maintenance of the diverse organisms that inhabit this environment.

  • We cannot discount the economic value of green infrastructure and conservation. Conservation returns between $4 and $11 for every dollar invested, as investments in parks and green spaces has been shown to improve water quality, naturally manage stormwater, reduce air pollution, enhance community health, provide recreational opportunities, attract and retain businesses, and support economic development. Economic research also shows that home values increase near high-quality parks and green space.