Fears Still Exist About Artificial Turf

Parents around the country are still concerned about the apparent dangers of artificial turf and the risks the rubber granule infill poses. Injuries such as turf burn and the toxins that may be found in the fill as well as the temperature at which the surface can heat to in summer are among the concerns.

Studies in athletes have also shown increased risk for wound infections when playing on these surfaces. There have been conflicting studies surrounding some of these issues with one study clearing the risk of poisoning by either coming in contact with the synthetic grass or by ingesting the rubber granule particles.

There have even been calls for a moratorium on installing artificial grass until further studies are done and parents fears are allayed. The fact is, there are a lot of new products in the market to use as grass infill in place of the more common rubber granule derived from recycled car tires. These products are more expensive but they are also much safer to use, some come from natural products and all have a range of advantages over the cheaper, but dirtier rubber granule.