Turf Product Guidance

When choosing an athletic field option, organizations must consider the cost over the entire life of the product. For natural grass, this includes any up-front installation or improvement costs as well as maintenance over time. For synthetic turf, this includes installation, maintenance, disposal, and replacement costs.

In addition to the financial costs, the health and environmental costs of installing new turf should also be considered. Synthetic turf is often marketed as a low-maintenance alternative to natural grass, but it has the potential to introduce toxic chemicals, microplastics and other hazards. Conventional natural grass management using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers may also introduce toxic chemicals into the environment, but steps can be taken to manage grass in a way that eliminates the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. To highlight steps that can be taken to reduce toxic exposures, this guidance divides natural grass management programs into three categories: Synthetic Pesticide-Free (organic), Integrated Pest Management, and Calendar-Based Pest Management. Individual grass management plans will vary and some may not easily fit into one these three categories, but they will tend to fall somewhere along the spectrum. 

Athletic fields made from synthetic turf require infill to keep the grass blades upright and provide shock attenuation, or impact protection. Infill generally consists of small particles of rubber or other synthetic polymers, plant or mineral-derived particles, or some combination of these. Rubber/polymeric infills are often used in combination with sand, but may be used without it. One of the cheapest infill options is ground up recycled tire scrap, also known as “crumb rubber” or “tire crumb.” Because crumb rubber contains a large number of chemicals known to be toxic to human health and the environment, numerous risk assessment studies have attempted to estimate health risks of playing on fields with tire crumb infill; some have identified risks, while others have concluded risks may be minimal. All of the risk assessment studies have limitations, and no robust epidemiological study has been conducted on this topic.[1] To address these limitations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) launched a multi-agency effort in 2016 to better characterize the composition of crumb rubber and human exposures to these chemicals.[2] These agencies have gathered information on existing literature as well as some additional toxicity information. Some additional areas have been identified for further research, including inhalation exposure to PAHs.[3] The final report includes an extensive list of data gaps that still exist, such as a lack of epidemiological and biomonitoring studies to date.[4]  

Concerns over crumb rubber extend beyond chemical exposures to individuals playing on the surfaces. These include degradation of rubber infill, leaching of chemicals from the infill, a concern for environmentally persistent chemicals like zinc and lead, and disposal and recycling of artificial turf components.[5]

There are other infills on the market labeled as alternatives to tire crumb, some of which are made with synthetic materials, and others labeled as “natural,” made with mineral- or plant-based materials. Though information on chemicals contents of these infill options is limited, several studies have found presence of some of the same hazardous chemicals found in tire crumb in some of the other synthetic infills.[6] Other concerns, such as respiratory hazards, have been noted for some of the natural infills. No alternative infill option is free of concern, though some may be considered somewhat safer than tire crumb. Regardless of infill choice, all synthetic turf systems have the ability to introduce synthetic materials into the environment through the breakdown of the artificial grass carpet.

Roughly 265 million square feet of synthetic turf and 777 million pounds of infill are currently in use in North America.[7] Current evidence suggests that most turf and infill is not recycled.[8] Lack of turf recycling could mean significant impacts when these installed turf fields reach their end of life. Furthermore, an estimated 1-4% of the plastic infill on a field is lost each year and may become a source of microplastic pollution, which is a growing environmental concern.[9]

The majority of research to date has focused on infill, but lead, phthalates, and per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) have been measured in turf fibers.[10] The turf carpet can also contain hazardous antimicrobials, or require regular application of an antimicrobial as part of the maintenance procedures. These additional hazards from the turf fibers and backing are considered for all synthetic turf options in the red-to-green ranking below. 

This guidance on athletic turf is based on a hazard identification approach. This precautionary approach considers the best available information and identifies which products contain the most hazardous content. It also considers upstream process chemicals and end of life chemical concerns. It does not, however, include a full lifecycle assessment that compares estimates of water use and greenhouse gas emissions among different types of athletic fields as others have done previously.[11]

Here is some general guidance to use when selecting turf for athletic fields or other outdoor recreation spaces:

• Choose natural grass over synthetic turf. Synthetic chemicals used to manage grass can carry a wide range of hazards, but steps can be taken to transition away from the use of synthetic fertilizers and eliminate the need for pesticides altogether while still producing a high-performance athletic field.[12]
  • Choose grass that is appropriate for the soil conditions and regularly aerate the field. This will improve impact protection and grass resiliency and reduce reliance upon synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.
  • Transition to a turf management program that reduces the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and strives to eliminate them. This will reduce the reliance on chemicals with known health hazards and other lifecycle concerns.
• If using synthetic turf: 
  • Select plant-based or mineral-based infills over synthetic infills. Synthetic turf with plant-based and mineral-based infills may contain a smaller number of toxic chemicals compared to synthetic infills, although they also pose some hazards. If you must use synthetic infill, avoid using crumb rubber because it contains the highest amount of chemical hazards among all types of infill. For any type of infill, ask for full disclosure of content and testing data that demonstrates absence of chemicals of concern.
  • Avoid using turf or infill that advertise antimicrobial protection. Antimicrobials are used in some artificial turf products as preservatives. These antimicrobials do not serve a function related to reduction of disease transmission. These antimicrobials can also introduce chemical hazards. Furthermore, adding antimicrobials beyond what is necessary to protect the product can introduce additional hazardous chemicals. Read more about our research into antimicrobials in building products here.
  • Require full content disclosure for the turf, infill, and shock pad. Disclosure of chemical contents can be a concern with all types of synthetic turf. If specifying synthetic turf, it is important to obtain test data for all components of the turf system. In addition to information on metals, this should include information on PAHs, VOCs, SVOCs, phenols, and PFAS (measured through total fluorine content).[13]
  • If using a shock pad, avoid using in-situ pads or prefabricated pads made with crumb rubber or PVC. In-situ pads use a polyurethane binder that is cured on site. Prior to curing, this binder can expose workers to isocyanates, which are potent asthmagens and a leading cause of work-related asthma.[14] Crumb rubber contains a number of hazardous chemicals, and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) has a number of lifecycle concerns.[15] If pads are made with recycled content, ask for disclosure on the source of the content and avoid products with undefined recycled content.
  • Ask your supplier about end of life take back, recycling, or extended manufacturer responsibility programs. Understand that recycling options are limited for infills and synthetic grass carpet components.[16] Make sure clear options for turf and infill recycling are available prior to committing to installation of synthetic turf.