There have been a few of these posts, but I came across some information I hadn't seen before, and thought I'd share. Our town just overturned a bond measure to build a synthetic turf field. I was a pretty vocal opponent. Mostly because of what I found here. I am ok with them, if there is safe infill used, but the tire crumb rubber is starting to rear its ugly head across the country. Towns are ripping the stuff out, kids are getting cancer, and people are starting to sue. According to this first article, the EPA started this whole thing. A task force decided the best solution to get rid of billions of tires (which were too unsafe for landfills), was to grind them up and put them in playgrounds and fields. They teamed up with the field turf companies, working together to convince the public they were safe. NOW, they say they need more study. This is really shameful stuff, and that's not even taking into account the independent studies that show increased injuries, including a Furd study that shows a 40% increase in ACL injuries in NCAA football. We all know how the last few years have gone with injuries, since we got our brand new field. I don't propose we dispose of the field. And everything below it is dead anyway. But we really need to get rid of the crumb rubber and replace it with something safer. Zeofill is apparently Prop65 approved. It's volcano ash crumbs. It's still sand, but apparently not silica. There are other options like coconut shells. Whatever we do, I don't think we should keep this garbage on our field. Frankly, I'm disappointed. Here are a few links...

http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Critics-say-EPA-played-dual-role-in-recycled-tire-6094382.php?t=842be8062000af33be&cmpid=twitter-premium

http://necir.org/2015/05/10/toxic-turf/

Curious as to how much a different substance would cost per field per year (since I assume the pellets have to be replenished).

I don't really buy that Cal's injuries problems are due to turf since a lot of other big time school use turf and don't have the same issues.

But yeah, if tire dust are bad, get rid of it. And it has to be easier for a big time program making million to do than a city or high school without tens of millions coming in.

As a former player..Grass is 100 times better. I've played on Original Astro Turf, Field Turf and Natural grass..and I'd take grass every single time. Original Astro turf was the worst though, at DVC we had it and during the summer it would get 110-115F on there. After every practice you felt it in your knees. Field Turf was a little better on the knees, but just as easily soaked up heat. Always had to wear gear to protect against burns though (like rug burns). As much money as we spend on things, I always felt synthetic fields were one of the biggest waste of money. In high school at DeAnza we had one of the worst grass fields..holes and dead dirt areas all over..and it was still better than the field turf lol.

can real grass be installed at cms ? drainage ?


de anza huh in el sobrante ? i spent sometime there before finishing up at albany

yeah De Anza in El Sobrante. When were you there? I was there from 93-95

87-88

going4roses;842501216 said:

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87-88

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Ahh cool, probably had a lot of the same teachers I had. Unfortunately we both had to suffer in the Richmond Unified School district ;p

I hate all artificial fields. At one time I worked for a company that created one of the early artificial surfaces, and though the technology has come a long way, there's no question to me that artificial surfaces for football and rugby just shouldn't be. As a former athlete, nothing compares with real grass. Not only for safety, but for ambience. The stuff we have has a nasty glare to it, which can be seen in several photographs and is clearly noticeable when the sun is in certain positions. It reflects brightness, and also reflects the heat of the sun. Additionally, as silly as this will seem to some, I love the smell of a real grass field, and particularly enjoyed that aroma after the games at Memorial were played on it.

As for whether or not it could be installed at CMS, I'm not an engineer, but my guess is it could be done. The advancements in drainage and ability to pump water down and out has been used for several years now. (I THINK it was originally done at Purdue, but I could be wrong). But with the "upgrade" to the field, now it might be difficult since no provision was made for the possible advancement of a grass field. I would be interested in knowing more from those who would know if it would be possible at CMS.

Our other problem has always been a lack of a practice field, so the floor of the stadium had to be used for the entire practice. With the new practice field next door, I don't know if that is enough of an offload to make a grass field possible. But I sure wish it could be done. I just hate the artificial appearance of our field.

USF is rebuilding its baseball diamond, switching the location of home plate, adding dugouts, and installing an artificial turf field.The turf will have an "organic" infill. I don't know what the substance is: cork?
Odd to note in this time of drought, the turf will need to be watered regularly to keep the infill from drying out.

The problem with grass at Memorial is not drainage, it's the lack of an alternative practice field. The grass can't take the wear and tear beyond 2 or 3 games/practices per week and maybe less in rainy weather.

Synthetic turf is particularly bad for football or rugby where you spend a lot of time with your face near the ground, but if it's just for soccer then you're much less likely to swallow tire pellets. It's not an ideal solution like grass but grass can't take constant use and require more maintenance and watering. I'm not sure if the injury rate on really bad hard grass fields that you find in many overused playgrounds in CA is that much different. And while you might get a small bump up in cancer rates, that needs to be measured against the health hazards from lack of activity, obesity and diabetes being bigger issues with youth today.

Hygiene is also an issue with turf, bacterial infections are more of a problem but it's mitigated by showering after every game. By and large field turf is the lesser evil.

MinotStateBeav;842501218 said:

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Ahh cool, probably had a lot of the same teachers I had. Unfortunately we both had to suffer in the Richmond Unified School district ;p

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the teachers i had a madera elementry and adams jr high were awesome

Cal88;842501437 said:

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The problem with grass at Memorial is not drainage, it's the lack of an alternative practice field. The grass can't take the wear and tear beyond 2 or 3 games/practices per week and maybe less in rainy weather.

Synthetic turf is particularly bad for football or rugby where you spend a lot of time with your face near the ground, but if it's just for soccer then you're much less likely to swallow tire pellets. It's not an ideal solution like grass but grass can't take constant use and require more maintenance and watering. I'm not sure if the injury rate on really bad hard grass fields that you find in many overused playgrounds in CA is that much different. And while you might get a small bump up in cancer rates, that needs to be measured against the health hazards from lack of activity, obesity and diabetes being bigger issues with youth today.

Hygiene is also an issue with turf, bacterial infections are more of a problem but it's mitigated by showering after every game. By and large field turf is the lesser evil.

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