Why do we continue to collect data about the danger of kids playing on synthetic turfs on school grounds, even as we simultaneously allow our children to be put in harm’s way?
I would normally find it appalling that parents aren’t flooding our school board in outrage, demanding that they should be the firewall protecting our children. But I realize that parents must think that if the school board is going to support this turf, then things likely aren’t dire enough to warrant their removal.
But they would be wrong. We only have to look at the European Union to see how other societies actually work for the common good to protect their children.
The EU has banned the sale of products containing intentionally added microplastics, including crumb rubber infill, used in artificial turf. Crumb rubber is a known carcinogen our kids are inhaling, getting in their eyes, mouth and skin abrasions. But the EU doesn’t ban synthetic turf itself, and use on school campuses remains permitted.
How can this be? Well, they focus on the infill, not the turf. While they ban crumb rubber infill, they use alternative infills such as coconut fiber and sand instead of crumb rubber.
The way the United States always seems to deal with life threatening additives to things such as turf, or foods or drugs – is to analyze it to death.
While the EU doesn’t disparage analysis per se, what they do is to simultaneously analyze and REMOVE the suspect carcinogens until further evidence is accumulated as to whether something is safe or not. The EU describes our method of seeming to care about the welfare of our citizens while actually doing nothing as Paralysis by Analysis. Sadly, that’s exactly what is happening regarding the artificial turf on our school grounds.
Carcinogens can cause cancer by damaging DNA and disrupting cell growth. Researchers in the United States, Germany and Jordan found childhood cancer rates in America have increased by about 33% since 1975.
After reading all of this, there may nevertheless be parents who think that the risk is still low enough not to be too concerned.
To address this willingness to dismiss these real concerns, I’d like to quote Clint Eastwood:
Do you feel lucky?
Jill Chapin
Santa Monica
