Why Won’t the Government Say Whether This Artificial Turf is Safe? | NBC Nightly News

It’s the most common form of artificial turf and millions of children play on it every day, but is it safe? We put the question to the feds in our NBC News investigation.
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Why Won’t the Government Say Whether This Artificial Turf is Safe? | NBC Nightly News

[@baatarjavjavkhlan7319]

parents stop sending your kids to theses fields. why do you need permission from government

[@jellybeanplaysurface9449]

To answer the question in your title, it's likely because the acronym agencies involved pushed the safety of used tires for so long. Post- consumer granulated tires are not the best material for your kids to roll around in. Tire rubber fails indoor VOC tests, contains heavy metals, has fillers that are known respiratory irritants, and who knows what else it could pickup during its life on the roadway. We feel for those affected by this, check out our page to learn how we are helping solve this issue.

[@eyes7054]

I could visualize why it may the goalie getting it the most. Their face is closer to the ground, so I’m pretty sure they might inhaled some rubber particles. I don’t think the body can breakdown car tire particles easily. The other players are just kicking the ball.

[@ibsn87]

In Australia we play on perfect grass fields, covered in pesticides and herbicides 🤷🏼‍♂️ don’t play sport kids!

[@danielmcelroy4505]

I'm very disappointed by the EPA in this case--they should at least let us know what their current stance is; admittedly shoving a mic in Ms McCarthy's face and not letting her defend her position is bad practice on NBC's part, but it remains that they should have some response

[@danielmcelroy4505]

+LaineeTheCatWallace admittedly i have no reason to really be worried--it's an unclear correlation at best

[@stevenmitchell1]

​​@@danielmcelroy4505 There's nothing unclear about Crum rubber's carcinogenic qualities. They've been known for years.

[@Somey22]

Why tf would u put rubber as dirt makes no sense just get some new dirt to not get scraped or get cancer

[@usedsubcompact1369]

a channel Because using rubber pelets, and sand makes the turf feel like natural grass. The pellets and sand are used for infill, and the pellets are not considered "Dirt."

[@usedsubcompact1369]

Does that make sense to you?

[@stevenmitchell1]

The EPA says more research needs to be done, but don't look at us. There's way too much money involved for us to take a stand. And in 2024, 8 years later, they've still done nothing.

[@Lundahlium]

WE ARE KILLING ATHLETES

[@kitrick42]

There's hundreds of thousands, or even millions of athletes regularly playing on this surface. I think it warrants a much larger sample size than some coach with a list of 34 soccer goalies.

[@ivaluesafety8357]

I can appreciate what the coach is saying, but why is she holding practice on an artificial turf field containing crumb rubber? Seems counterintuitive to me.

[@clearmist7170]

How do we know it's the tires and not the uniforms or the artificial grass blade or the paint job? There's no logical reason for why the tires are being scapegoated.

[@stevenmitchell1]

Because the rubber tires have been known to be carcinogenic material for years. It's hardly arbitrary.