They've done a "crash course" on crumb rubber, and some Fairfax County parents say they are concerned about what they've learned.
Now, those parents are asking the school district to delay the installation of a new artificial turf playing field that uses crumb rubber, so that there is time to study its health effects further.
One parent called it "157 and a half tons of chemicals that you would not allow cows to graze on."
Crumb rubber is commonly added to artificial turf, adding cushioning and helping the strands of turf stand up straight. It's made of ground-up car tires.
Fairfax County's new field at Westgate Elementary School is being built with artificial turf, including crumb rubber.
"It's not something I want them exposed to on a regular basis," said parent Lucy Cedrone. "I'm certainly going to be talking to the gym teacher, the principal, asking how much by kids are going to be on this field and exposed to this stuff."
The parents cite a Yale University study that looked at the chemical makeup of crumb rubber. It found chemicals that are considered probable carcinogens and others that are irritants to breathing, the skin or the eyes.
It also found that almost half of the chemicals in the crumb rubber had not had toxicity screenings to determine their effects on health...
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