DON’T LET YOUR SCHOOL INSTALL ARTIFICIAL TURF
It’s tempting for school officials to switch their playing fields over to artificial turf. The artificial turf manufactures point out all the advantages of doing so. They have salesmen who are actively engaging schools to make the switch. Don’t allow this to happen for this will be a disastrous move that must be fought to the bitter end. Make sure you understand the negative effects of artificial grass. The best athletic playing fields are those who install organic lawns and follow an organic program to produce a strong and healthy turf. Mother Nature can show us the way. Don’t cover our soils with synthetic materials most of which contain toxic substances. Fill them with grass which is a living plant that purifies our air. The food web which is so important to carry on the life in the soil in the process of installing artificial turf is smothered and our children’s health are being put at risk.
An organic lawn is a lawn that does not apply any chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or toxic fungicides. An organic lawn, if properly prepared, develops a healthy food web and a strong deep root system. Earthworms keep it well aerated and help prevent compaction. The grass is soft and gentle to the skin. It is by far the best choice for athletic fields or public places. When I hear about people wanting to install artificial turf, it angers me. This is not the ‘Natural’ way of doing things and it feels that we have no right to cover our earth with plastic plants. Plants were put on this earth for a purpose; they purify our air and as they transpire moisture into the air they cool and are part of the rain cycle. They play an important part in Nature. When we lose sight of that purpose we are adding to the destruction of our earth. Global warming is man made and unless we reverse this trend we as a species will become extinct. It is this bigger picture of our indiscretions that disturbs me the most. We must reverse our way of thinking and get back to doing things the natural way. Acts against Nature is worth the fight to rectify it. Installing artificial turf is a wrong decision and in my mind a sin against Nature.
The newer artificial turf surfaces claim to be much safer than the old Astro turf types. But what they are doing by adding more artificial products to the surface of the soil to soften the impact is to add more toxins to the soil. Ground up rubber most coming from used tires are ground up into small pellets and form an even layer on the soil to soften the impact. The toxic material in these rubber pellets will destroy the food web and I presume will end up creating dead soil. The artificial turf made up of a mixture of synthetic products is applied as a cover over these rubber pellets. Unlike real grass, artificial turf contains toxins known to have negative effects on human health. According to the New Jersey Work Environment Council , artificial grass often contains toxic metals such as cadium, lead and arsnic, in addition to phthalates, which may negatively affect some organs, including reproductive organs. Various substances including old tires and silica sand are used to make artificial grass but do differ from one manufacturer to the other. I am sure the sales pitch will be that they have a newer and better product but in 10 years from now this will be the same pitch as we find negative results from the products they are now using.
Environmental issues are important and we must consider them before we install artificial grass. Hosing down artificial turf causes runoff of toxic materials that are in the artificial turf components into the nearby environment. This run off contaminates nearby soils. When it is time to dispose of artificial turf it can take decades to break down. Artificial turf does not provide a home or food for insects, birds or other animals. Yet this is an important role grass plays in Nature’s delicate balance of life. Everything in Nature is related and depended on each other.
Heat: Real grass transpires water and stays relatively cool at all times. On a hot sunny day the temperatures on artificial turf can become alarmingly hot. Artificial turf may become too hot to play on. A study at Bingham Young University revealed that the synthetic surfaces were 37 degrees hotter than outside temperatures. Fresenburgh who did a study on artificial turf for the University of Missouri wrote that all those rubber and plastic materials amplify sunlight to cause near unbearable temperatures during certain times of the day. He suggests teams schedule morning and evening practices when temperatures are cooler. He said in the hot afternoon hours of August and September teams should seek out natural grass alternatives. In all cases keeping all athletes hydrated under these conditions is very important. Also Bacteria can survive on artificial turf for lengthy periods creating an increase risk of infection. Also about 6 % of the population is allergic to substances in latex. The rough texture of artificial turf can result in a condition called ‘turf burn’ a painful, open lesion resulting from abrasive contact with human skin. This can happen when playing sports on these surfaces. One of the articles I read said if you get a turf burn on artificial grass; make sure you apply a disinfectant to your skin. Natural grass has a microbial system. It is self cleaning. Nature takes care of us if we follow her lead. She produces a much better turf than we can manufacture.
Schools have decided to use artificial turf because of its toughness and because it is a time saving alternative to sowing, mowing and watering. Often schools end up removing it because of the above discussed problems. At this point the cost of removal and building a new lawn is very high. The cost of removal prevents many schools from making this important decision even though they now realize it poses a risk to its athletes.
There is a must read article before you decide to install artificial grass at your school.’ The article can be found on the internet. The article is entitled is there a link between artificial turf and cancer in soccer goalies by Cindy Boren. Goalies spend a lot of their time on the ground blocking shots. They spend a lot of time with their faces close to the ground breathing in these toxins on artificial turf. The statistics that have been compiled about their health issues in this article I find to be the most compelling argument against artificial turf.
If we want a safe field for our children to play on, choose the organic lawn. The organic lawn helps fight global warming and provides a safe surface for our children to play. We need to learn how to follow the natural path that Nature has provided for us. Anyone interested in building a safe organic lawn on their own property read the chapter in my book “12 Steps To Natural Gardening “ The Organic Lawn on page 135.
