Artificial Turf: NYC Steps Up

The New York Times is reporting that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has signed a bill that...

"requires the parks and health departments to work together in ensuring a thorough review of materials going into future playing fields. The new law also establishes a nine-member advisory committee, appointed by the mayor and the City Council speaker, which will review the type of material proposed for any playing field and make suggestions for alternate materials. Its recommendations will be nonbinding but will be posted online."

This is good news for the children of New York, and the waterways that are the recipients of the lead, carcinogens, heavy metals and other material that drain into the water with the used ground rubber tire material (GRT) from which these turf fields are manufactured.  To find out how much GRT is in your field, search 'Artificial Turf' on this blog and read through the articles.  And to see what it looks like, well, just take a look at the photo here.

Oh, and that icky black stuff all over your kids' sneakers? the stuff that gets on the rug? That is the carcinogenic artificial turf being tracked into your home.

Kudos to the Safe, Healthy Playing Fields Coalition in Montgomery County (MD) for working on this public health issue.  Now, its time for the Montgomery County Council to step up.