Elrich Doubles Down on Hiring Former County Council Member

One of last month’s most read stories was Elrich Wants to Create a New Job for Term Limited Council Member.  That post revealed that the county executive sent over legislation to create a new job for work on broadband and named the intended recipient: former Council Member Craig Rice, whose tenure in office was ended by term limits.  That was supposed to be a secret but Elrich’s assistant let it slip through an email.

Well, it’s a secret no longer as Elrich made it official on Friday.  He sent the council a formal packet naming Rice and enclosing his resume.  I am not printing Rice’s resume because I refuse to dox him, but here are extracts from the packet proving that this new job is being created for him...

Elrich Doubles Down on Hiring Former County Council Member - Montgomery Perspective

MoCo County Council Forgets to Check Backgrounds on Top Candidates for Planning Board.

This week the Montgomery County Council is setting a really bad example for students. They forgot to do their homework.  

In this case that means that the County Council released a list of the names of their "top" candidates to fill the vacant Montgomery County Planning Board seats without researching the candidates.

Just a few simple Internet searches would have yielded important information, such as tax liens.   

Why do personal liens matter on candidates for Planning Board positions? It's always a concern to put someone in a position of power that might have some vulnerabilities related to their personal financial status.  

Not only did they County Council forget to do their homework on their "top" candidates, but they are also blatantly violating Maryland law with regard to the appointment process for Planning Board vacancies.  

This week the Montgomery County Council is hell bent on showing the next generation how to violate the law, eliminate transparency and ignore ethics. Is their goal to show future generations what not to do? 

Is this the next @montgomeryplans Montgomery Co Planning Board? All the term limited and out of office Councilmembers will appoint themselves to Planning Bd?

Is this the next @montgomeryplans Montgomery Co Planning Board? All the term limited Councilmembers will appoint themselves to Planning Bd? @Andrew_Friedson @EvanMGlass @tomhucker @willjawando @Marc_Elrich @MC_Council_Katz @nancy_navarro @RicePolitics @hansriemer @albornoz_gabe pic.twitter.com/RIs6zT6BhE

— Parents' Coalition (@PCMC1) October 13, 2022

Councilmember Craig Rice Promotes Contest that Requires MCPS Middle School Students To Be On Instagram. Instagram says Users should be 13 or older.

Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice has posted a promotion for a Competition for MCPS students that requires entries into the Competition to post on Instagram.

The Competition is for MCPS middle and high school students.  However, Instagram requires users to be at least 13 years old.  Middle School students can be from 10 to 14 years old.  Most middle school students will not be old enough to be on Instagram.  Note the $10,000 in awards and prizes to lure in the students. 

From Instagram:  

 

https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/continuing-to-make-instagram-safer-for-the-youngest-members-of-our-community

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This cult teen brand is quitting social media amid growing safety concerns

New York (CNN Business)Trendy soaps brand Lush Cosmetics is quitting Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat on Friday in a radical move to draw attention to how those platforms are damaging people's mental health.

The company said Monday that its accounts will be deactivated on Nov. 26, the day after Thanksgiving, when most other brands and retailers kick their social media activity into high gear to win over holiday gift shoppers.

Lush, which has more than 900 stores worldwide, including 240 across the United States and Canada, said it will remain off those social media channels globally until the platforms ensure a safer environment for their users...

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/22/tech/lush-quits-social-media/index.html?utm_campaign=rtb&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=morning_brew&fbclid=IwAR0WBWUzvfB88sbkGBpqYl6evHdylG0mbxV7XSQMnN0DbgmJbr2UWXuMQgg

On June 29, 2021, MCPS Associate Superintendent of Operations Essie McGuire was in a Closed Door Meeting of the Board of Education, Tomorrow She Runs the County Council's Briefing on MCPS.

Montgomery County Council Agenda Item for September 14, 2021, shows former MCPS Associate Superintendent of Operations Essie McGuire now works for the County Council and is the staff person preparing the presentation for the County Council's briefing on MCPS.  

Ms. McGuire is now working for the County Council, overseeing the MCPS briefing, and preparing the documents that will be presented to the Council for their briefing.  

Ms. McGuire is running a briefing where her former employer is appearing before her current employer.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/agenda/col/2021/20210914/20210914_2C.pdf

Montgomery County Board of Education June 29, 2021, Closed Session Minutes: 

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/C4BPTC6624AF/$file/210629%20Report%20of%20Previous%20Closed%20Session.pdf

2019 Maryland Higher Education Commission Data Book: Montgomery College Enrollment, Outcomes, Remediation Rates

https://mhec.maryland.gov/publications/Documents/Research/AnnualPublications/2019DataBook.pdf

9-Year-Old Girl Fatally Struck by School Bus in Maryland @mcps @mocoboe

County Council Ratifies Illegal Contract Action by Board of Education, Will Take NO ACTION on Inspector General's Report

On Monday, November 18, 2019, the Montgomery County Council will hold a hearing to discuss the contract that the Board of Education entered into to place cameras on the outside of school buses.

The County Council will take no action with regard to this contract even though this action by the Board of Education was not authorized by the Maryland legislature.

Maryland law is clear. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES are authorized by the legislature to place cameras on the outside of school buses.  

http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2019/08/mcps-bus-camera-program-does-not-comply.html

Yet, in Montgomery County, Maryland where laws are apparently optional, the police department did not enter into a contract to place cameras on the outside of school buses.  Instead the Board of Education entered into a contract with a company that has long since been shut down after the FBI began arresting, convicting and sending those involved with that scheme to prison.  The company reformed with a new name, but with most of the same officers and the Board of Education kept sending them money with out a discussion of the original, now void contract.  

The Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD made the Board of Education contract available to the public in September of 2019, three years after it had been signed by Interim Superintendent Larry Bowers on his last day in office as a MCPS employee.

The contract shows that the Board of Education President Mike Durso never signed the contract.  

The Maryland legislature did not authorize Maryland Boards of Education to enter into exterior bus camera schemes, nor did they authorize a Superintendent to enter into a bus camera scheme.  

In July of 2019, the Montgomery County Inspector General issues a report with regard to the Montgomery County Police Department's involvement with the bus camera scheme, but did not evaluate the role of the Board of Education.  The IG's report did not mention that the Board of Education's contract with a bus camera company was not authorized under Maryland law.

The Montgomery County Council will discuss the IG's report but will ignore Maryland law and will take no action with regard to the fact that a private company is sending out citations to County citizens for a bus camera scheme that was not authorized by the Maryland legislature.

MCPS Board of Ed Forces Student to Cross Six Lanes of Traffic. 6 cars and a RIDE ON BUS Pass Stopped Bus. Camera Will Not Protect Children when Bus Stops are Extremely Dangerous.

This video released by Montgomery County Police.  While the video is supposed to show how drivers ignore stopped school buses, what it also shows is that MCPS is putting students in extreme danger by forcing them to cross to the opposite side of roads for their bus stop.  In the past, MCPS did not allow these types of bus stops. Clearly, the Board of Education has decided that safety is not a priority.  Instead of keeping children safe by making sure children never have to cross 6 lanes of traffic to get home, the Board of Education has chosen to simply video these inherently dangerous bus stops, as if a video can correct irresponsible behavior by adults. 

FBI News: Putting a Stop to Public Corruption Dallas Officials Lined Pockets with Proceeds from Stop-Arm Bus Cameras @mcps @mcpnews @mococouncilmd

Several years ago, the school transportation provider in Dallas added stop-arm cameras to their school buses to keep students safer and bring in revenue from traffic tickets.

Taxpayers ended up paying millions of dollars for the cameras—but they brought in little revenue.

The school transportation provider continued to buy the cameras because the camera company lined the pockets of multiple public officials. And as a result of an FBI and Internal Revenue Service investigation, those involved in the scheme are now serving prison sentences.

Robert Leonard Jr., CEO of the company that manufactured the cameras, paid several bribes to benefit his company, including $450,000 in multiple cash payments, trips, and other gifts to Dallas City Councilman Dwaine Caraway. In exchange, Caraway cast votes on the council in favor of the cameras.

“They needed an ordinance to ticket drivers who were caught passing the camera,” said Special Agent Erik Tighe, who investigated this case out of the FBI’s Dallas Field Office. “Caraway was instrumental in making that ordinance happen. He accepted bribes to continue the program.”

Tighe and the investigative team used a combination of human sources and financial analysis to unravel the network of bribes.

“They just kept using taxpayer funds as a piggy bank.”

Erik Tighe, special agent, FBI Dallas

Caraway pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion charges and was sentenced in April 2019 to 56 months in prison. Leonard pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges and was sentenced in May to seven years in prison.

Ultimately, the taxpayer-funded transportation provider paid the camera manufacturer $70 million for the cameras. They continued to pay even though the cameras were bringing in less revenue than they cost.

According to court documents, the program caused “significant and ultimately debilitating debt” for the transportation provider, which eventually closed due to that debt, forcing schools to find another transportation option for students.

“They just kept using taxpayer funds as a piggy bank,” Tighe said. “It had a huge impact on the community. Thousands of people were affected by this corruption.”

https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/corrupt-public-official-sentenced-082919

Montgomery County Council's 8 minute 7 second Discussion of IG 30 Page Report on School Bus Camera Scheme

Here is the Montgomery County Council's response to the July 28, 2019, Inspector General's Report on the school bus camera scheme being used by Montgomery County Public Schools.  This discussion came at the end of the Council's Joint Committee meeting on July 29th.

Councilmember Tom Hucker begins to ask questions to MCPS and Montgomery County Police Representatives based on the Inspector General's Report, however the discussion is quickly shut down and the meeting is adjourned.



At the table presenting to the Councilmembers are:

• Assistant Chief David Anderson, Field Services Bureau, Montgomery County Police
Department (MCPD)
• Captain Tom Didone, Traffic Division, MCPD
• Richard Hetherington, Manager Automated Traffic Enforcement Unit, MCPD
• Todd Watkins, Transportation Director, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)

Bribing for camera cash: So in 2015, Montgomery officials traveled all the way to Dallas to meet with Force Multiplier execs, including Leonard. "The Montgomery contingent was really high on Force Multiplier..."

...Montgomery had started a bus camera program in 2014, contracting with Xerox Corp., but the initiative did not receive much funding. So in 2015, Montgomery officials traveled all the way to Dallas to meet with Force Multiplier execs, including Leonard. The Montgomery contingent was really high on Force Multiplier, saying in a memo that it had a “technologically superior project” and noting that less than 2 percent of the fines sent out were contested in court.

“In exchange for free installation on all MCPS school buses, [Force] would retain all fine revenues in order to recoup its investment,” reads the memo. “MCPD indicates that [Force] will need to recoup approximately $18 million in fines to break even on their initial investment. At this point, [Force] and the county will negotiate a revenue-sharing plan.”

They lauded the “savings” of some $800,000 annually due to not having to replace some safety equipment. They admitted to skepticism, saying Force’s offer to “absorb 100% of the cost of equipment and installation…. seemed too good to be true.”

They didn’t, of course, know about the shenanigans in Dallas. But if a deal seems too good for even cash-happy public officials, wouldn’t that sound more alarms?

Montgomery moved ahead with the program, even after news of the bribery scam broke. Force Multiplier’s assets moved into a new company, BusPatrol, which officials claimed is totally different. But it lists the same local address in Lorton, Va., as Force Multiplier had. BusPatrol CEO David Poirier was the registered agent for Force, and other former Force employees also work for BusPatrol.

Did Force Multiplier execs donate to the campaigns of Montgomery County officials, as they did the Dallas officials who have been taken down?..

https://medium.com/@kevinjshay44/bribing-for-camera-cash-5a50f1d02c16

UPDATED: Montgomery College Enrollment Continues Dropping as MCPS Enrollment Increases

UPDATED as of 2023 Montgomery College Enrollment - See Below

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MCPS Schools at a Glance

As Montgomery County Public Schools enrollment has been increasing, Montgomery College's enrollment has been dropping.

Montgomery College is currently asking for a budget increase from what has been proposed by the County Executive.   But missing from any discussion of Montgomery College's budget request is data on the College's downward enrollment trend.

MHEC Data Books

When asked about Montgomery College's current Fall 2018 enrollment, Montgomery County Councilmember and Education Chair Craig Rice responded that Montgomery College has 54,335 credit and non-credit students.

The enrollment data from the 2019 Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) data book shows Montgomery College's Fall 2017 enrollment as 22,875.  If that enrollment held to the Fall of 2018, that would mean that 31,460 Montgomery College students were enrolled in non-credit classes.

That puts the majority of Montgomery College students as taking non-credit courses.

The "college" component of Montgomery College has been in a decline and has not picked
up additional students, even as MCPS enrollment has steadily climbed.
What's going on at Montgomery College and will our elected officials discuss the downward trend in our community college's enrollment? 


Montgomery College Enrollment with links to MHEC Data Books on enrollment and other data on Maryland colleges.

Fall 2009     26,147

Fall 2010     26,015

Fall 2011     26,996

Fall 2012     27,453

Fall 2013     26,155

Fall 2014     25,517

Fall 2015     25,320

Fall 2016     23,916

Fall 2017     22,875

Fall 2018     21,720 (Page 14 of Council packet)

Fall 2019     21,260

Fall 2020     20,037

Fall 2022     17,137

Recent Montgomery County Council discussion of Montgomery College's Capital Budget request.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/council/Resources/Files/agenda/cm/2019/20190321/20190321_EC1.pdf

First Bus Camera Scheme Jail Term: Former Dallas City Councilman Sentenced to 56 Months, $500,000 in Restitution #BusPatrolAmerica #ForceMultiplierSolutions @mcps @

This is a news story about the sentencing of the first of 5 individuals who were arrested and charged in connection with the Force Multiplier Solutions bus camera scheme in Dallas, Texas.  This is the same no bid bus camera scheme that was brought to Montgomery County.  Neither the Board of Education or the Montgomery County Council have addressed the problems with this bus camera scheme or the implications of the criminal proceedings in Dallas, Texas. 

The fall from power for Dwaine Caraway is complete after the former Dallas City Councilman and mayor pro tem was sentenced to 4.6 years behind bars Friday for his role in the $100 million criminal conspiracy that shut down school bus provider Dallas County Schools.

The disgraced politician was sentenced to 56 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn and ordered to pay more than $500,000 in restitution; The sentence comes after Caraway struck a plea deal Aug. 9, 2018, where he admitted to accepting bribes worth $450,000...

https://www.nbcdfw.com/investigations/Former-Dallas-City-Councilman-Dwaine-Caraway-Sentencing-Set-for-Friday-508156141.html

Mont. Co. Council: Nancy Navarro Responds to Complaints about School Bus Camera Scheme

E-mail sent out by Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro regarding complaints received about Montgomery County school bus camera scheme.  

Note Navarro's e-mail does not explain how Maryland distance requirement of 100 feet for yellow flashing warning lights is reconciled with bus camera video information.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Thank you for your correspondence expressing your views on school bus
cameras.   I have made it available to my Council colleagues, and I am
pleased to respond on their behalf.

The Council has recently received complaints about school bus cameras, where
drivers are concerned that they are not given enough warning before a bus
turns on its flashing red lights.   School bus drivers are required by State
law to turn on flashing yellow lights 100 feet before stopping, and then to
activate their flashing red lights when stopped.   The flashing yellow
lights function similarly to yellow traffic lights, alerting drivers to slow
down and stop.    

School bus camera tickets are reviewed twice -- once by the vendor and once
by civilian staff in the Police Department.   If the reviewers determine an
actual violation occurred, the ticket is then signed by a supervising sworn
police officer.   Approximately 20% of all tickets are rejected as not being
in violation of the law.   The video tickets show a yellow circle in the
upper left corner, which turns to red when the bus driver has activated the
flashing red lights.   This allows all viewers, including the Police
Department, to understand the timing of the flashing yellow lights and red
lights as they relate to the actual violation.   When someone has a concern
about a specific ticket they have received, they can contact the automated
traffic enforcement division of the Police Department.   The staff will then
review the ticket again.   I hope this addresses your concerns about the
automated cameras.  

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on this important
matter.

Best regards,
 
Nancy Navarro
President, Montgomery County Council 

Sentencing delayed for the guilty in Dallas County Schools corruption case #ForceMultiplierSolutions #BusPatrol @mcps @mococouncil

Update on prosecutions in Dallas, Texas bus camera scandal involving the company that MCPS and Montgomery County Police chose for exterior bus cameras in Montgomery County, Maryland.

~~~

December 7, 2018
Five men in the past year have pleaded guilty to federal corruption leading to the downfall of Dallas County Schools — 

Locke Lord attorney Paul Coggins, who for eight years served as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said sentencing delays over investigating reports aren't uncommon. If nothing else, he said, they "give the government and defense more time to agree on things rather than fight over material that goes into the pre-sentencing investigative report."

...But, he said delays could be for another reason: the defendants could be offering prosecutors information about a complex, widespread case that has so far netted guilty pleas from five people. The others are former Dallas City Council member Larry Duncan, who served as board president of Dallas County Schools; Rick Sorrells, the agency's former superintendent; Robert Leonard, the CEO of the stop-arm camera company that took millions from DCS; and Swartwood, who was an associate of Leonard's.

"The government may want more time to access Mr. Caraway's agreement of cooperation and run down leads," Coggins said. "Or they may want time to complete the report. Or it could be a little bit of both."

...Right now, Caraway and Sorrells are scheduled to find out their fates on April 5. Two weeks later, it will be Larry Duncan's turn — if the schedules hold...

...Leonard, the CEO and chairman of Force Multiplier Solutions who pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges shortly before Caraway cut his deal with the feds, also had a Dec. 14 date. But for now, at least, the benefactor to many Dallas political candidates will be last to find out his time behind bars: His sentencing has been pushed back all the way to May of next year...

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:3tfx1bLEXG4J:https://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-city-council/2018/12/07/sentencing-delayed-guilty-dallas-county-schools-corruption-case-including-dwaine-caraway+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Mont. Co. Council LOVES Plastic Fields! 126 Degrees is NOT too Hot, Heat Islands don't Exist, Plastic is Organic, Plastic Pollution is Great.

On Monday, March 4, 2019, the Montgomery County Council discussed legislation proposed in Annapolis to prohibit the use of Program Open Space funds for artificial turf purchases.

Councilmembers Hans Riemer, Gabe Albornoz and Craig Rice used this opportunity to expound on how fantastic big sheets of plastic are for fields and playgrounds.  Nancy Navarro and Sidney Katz voted along with Riemer, Albornoz and Rice to oppose this State legislation.

In their speeches Hans Riemer stated that he thinks cork and zeolite are not as problamatic as tire crumb.  Apparently, skin lacerations and gashes are acceptable to Mr. Riemer.

Gabe Albornoz said that artificial turf is a problem when it gets hot in July and August.  Apparently, a 126 degree elementary school plastic field in October is OK.

Craig Rice thinks MCPS already is now routinely putting down natural grass surfaces.  Apparently he missed the MCPS plan to put a plastic football/soccer field down at every MCPS high school.

None of the 5 supporters of artificial turf said a word about what happens to these massive sheets of plastic when they are worn out in 8 years.

Below is video of the March 4th Montgomery County Council discussion that explains why artificial turf fields and playgrounds will continue to be funded in Montgomery County.

Could MoCo Bus Fines Go to Paying Off Debt in Dallas Left by Failed Stop-Arm Camera Ticketing Scheme?

If any part of fines from stop-arm camera tickets ends up with the former CEO of Force Multiplier Solutions, Robert C. Leonard, then Montgomery County Public Schools use of this stop-arm camera system could end up with fine money connected to the litigation mentioned in the article below.

Also note this article says the FBI investigation is ongoing as of August 2018.  

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To pay off debt left by corrupt school-bus agency Dallas County Schools, officials are suing to recover funds from conspirators who defrauded taxpayers.

...The dissolution committee also filed a civil racketeering lawsuit seeking to recoup taxpayer money that was illegally funneled to corrupt officials and others involved in the conspiracy. Under federal racketeering statutes, plaintiffs can recover triple damages.

“I’m hopeful that we will get some money back,” said Alan King, chief executive officer of the dissolution committee. “The amount of money that they’ve lost is just staggering.”

“It was a conspiracy of a number of defendants and individuals that involved bribes, kickbacks, real estate fees and commissions paid,” added Stephanie Curtis, an attorney for the DCS dissolution committee.

The lawsuit’s targets include former DCS Superintendent Rick Sorrells, former DCS President Larry Duncan, and current Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway, along with Louisiana-based school bus camera company Force Multiplier Solutions and its CEO Robert Leonard. A failed stop-arm camera ticketing scheme hatched by Leonard and then-Superintendent Sorrells back in 2010 precipitated the agency’s financial collapse.

Leonard’s associate Slater Swartwood, Sr. is also named in the suit. He was the first to be indicted on criminal charges in the DCS case, late last year. He pleaded guilty to federal money laundering conspiracy charges and gave federal prosecutors details of the multi-year conspiracy. Swartwood was the middle man who helped funnel millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks from Leonard and Force Multiplier to Sorrells “in return for further agreements and camera-equipment orders.”

Sorrells repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, but once Swartwood confessed, Sorrells admitted he abused his position to swindle taxpayers out of millions of dollars. As superintendent, Sorrells awarded $70 million in contracts to Force Multiplier in exchange for $3 million in bribes and kickbacks. He used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle that featured luxury vacations, expensive sports cars, and fancy jewelry. Sorrells pleaded guiltyin April to wire fraud and is set to be sentenced soon. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Duncan, who was president of the DCS board when then-Superintendent Sorrells and Leonard launched the stop-arm camera scheme, also denied wrongdoing. From 2012 to 2016, Duncan received nearly $250,000 in campaign contributions from Leonard and others connected with Force Multiplier that coincided with DCS board approvals of agreements with the company. Duncan claims the donations were legitimate, but it’s unclear why Louisiana residents would contribute to the campaign of a Dallas bureaucrat running unopposed. Duncan later gave some of that money to campaigns of other DCS board candidates, including Omar Narvaez, who’s now a Dallas City Council member...

School bus camera tickets still raising questions in some parts of Texas #BusPatrol #alertbus.com @RicePolitics @mcps @mocoboe

Amy Hamilton lives in Elgin, a town on the east side of Austin. Last month she got a collection demand for a $422 overdue fine for driving past a school bus that was stopped. She acknowledges that she did it, though not intentionally; an online video link shows her car passing the bus.

And those are the only simple things about what should be a simple case.

The demand letter came from a collections group in Carrollton, in North Texas. The letter says it was a “city of Pflugerville” bus she passed. That town, just north of Austin, doesn’t operate school buses.

The letter says she ignored the original ticket mailed to her in May, so that a late penalty was added to the original fine. Hamilton says she never got the original notice. It’s an all-too-common occurrence when agencies issue tickets or bills for things like automated tollway charges or red-light camera infractions to motorists who, at the time, don’t even know they’ve been tagged.

The collection company says the infraction happened in Austin. But officials in both Austin and Pflugerville deny issuing the original ticket or, in fact, having the authority to do so, since no officer in their employ saw the infraction or knew anything about it.

Who does know about it? BusPatrol, the private company that owns the camera that captured the video — a company, not any political subdivision with ticket-issuing power. The company got involved with Texas school bus safety after a major scandal involving payoffs and federal felony charges took down officials of another company originally involved, as well as leaders of a now-defunct school bus agency in Dallas... 

https://texasmonitor.org/school-bus-camera-tickets-still-raising-questions-in-some-parts-of-texas/?fbclid=IwAR3kCQTSD1DJnky7mE5Vce0JK_G1Oi_hdYbn8PSelJ1yZWtmVXz0CJkPFDs

Is crumb rubber a source for pollutants and harmful effects in the marine environment?

For our elected officials who still need to be 'educated' about the deadly environmental effects of crumb rubber artificial turf fields.

Paper by Claudia Halsband-Lenk,of the NILU - Norwegian Institute for Air Research, delivered at the Norwegian Environmental Toxicology Symposium, March 2018.

Link here.

Abstract

In Norwegian coastal communities, rubber microplastic granules (≤ 5 mm in size) derived from discarded vehicle tires are used in large quantities on outdoor synthetic turf sports pitches. Through transport by waste water effluents and terrestrial runoff, these rubber particles are considered a significant source of MPs to the marine ecosystem. In the here presented interdisciplinary project we study the composition, degradation and environmental impacts of these rubber granules from locations in northern Norway and Svalbard. Their persistence and residence time in the Arctic marine environment is unknown. These rubber particles pose a potential health risk for arctic wild life through direct ingestion, especially at the base of the marine food chain, but may also provide an exposure route for toxic additive chemicals present in tires to marine organisms. Furthermore, the rubber particles may act as a vector for other persistent organic and heavy metal pollutants already present in the marine environment. Arctic marine environments present special abiotic conditions for the degradation of these particles, with cold water temperatures and long periods with unlimited sunlight. During a 12 months period, rubber crumbs were placed out in the ocean in stainless steel containers and sub-sampled continuously for the measurement of persistent organic pollutants, metals and additives. Hydrophobic persistent organic pollutants such as PAHs, PCBs, DDTs, bisphenols, as well as metals were measured to establish the adsorption and leaching kinetics in seawater under in situ conditions. Samples were extracted using ultrasound and nonpolar solvents, followed by GPC and SPE clean up. Chemical analyses using pyroGC/MS, GC/MS/MS and LC/HRMS were done in the laboratories of NILU, Tromsø and SINTEF, Trondheim. Exposure experiments with rubber leachate were also conducted and high mortality rates were found for different marine zooplankton species.