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OT: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
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GoodOwl Offline
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Post: #1
OT: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
The safety of grass and turf fields
Dr. Geier @DrDavidGeier
Dec 12 2015 4:09 pm


Schools across the nation are replacing grass football and soccer fields with artificial turf. Recent events and news reports now have parents questioning whether these fields are safe for our kids.

The debate over turf versus grass fields intensified this summer. Matches of the Women’s World Cup in Canada were played on turf despite criticism from many of the players. On Saturday, the U.S. Women’s National Team refused to play a match in Hawaii’s Aloha Stadium. According to an article written by the team for The Players’ Tribune, the artificial turf was old and pulling out of the ground. Rocks were embedded in the turf throughout the field. The U.S. Soccer Federation later declared the field to be unplayable.

The cancellation came one day after USWNT midfielder Megan Rapinoe tore the ACL in her right knee on a grass training field. According to the team, the pitch was in bad condition, and sewer plates were lying along the sidelines.

In the case of the USWNT, the debate centers around fairness. The women’s team will play eight of its 10 Victory tour games on turf, while the men’s team reportedly hasn’t played on turf at all this year. Clearly buckling, aging turf and poorly maintained grass with hazards along the perimeter are not safe for the players.

We need to determine the safest fields, not just for the pros and national teams, but for kids who play football and soccer too. More schools install these latest generation artificial turf fields every year.

These surfaces, like FieldTurf, have crumb rubber bases with synthetic blades of grass woven into them. They appeal to schools located in areas with inconsistent weather or shrinking budgets that make maintaining the condition of the grass difficult.

On one hand, Rapinoe’s injury makes one of the primary arguments for turf. Grass fields in poor condition could cause serious knee injuries as players step into holes with little grass. The turf provides a more consistent playing surface, especially at the end of a season when grass fields are worn out. Some studies, although not all, actually show a higher rate of ACL tears on these newer artificial turf fields.

Perhaps the scarier risk, though, could be reports linking artificial turf to cancer in soccer players. Amy Griffin, the associate women’s soccer coach at the University of Washington, has kept a list of soccer players who developed cancer after years of playing on artificial turf. After a 2014 NBC News report on the possible link, Griffin heard from players across the country worried about the potential harmful chemicals that could be released from the rubber crumbs.

According to a follow-up story by NBC News this fall, Griffin’s list has grown to 63 former soccer players with cancer, mostly goalkeepers. 15 players have died. At this point, however, no scientific data has conclusively shown a link between artificial turf fields and cancer. According to the NBC report, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has backed down from a prior endorsement of artificial turf due to insufficient research.

If athletes want to play on grass fields, schools and teams must keep them in top shape. Given the cost to maintain grass, especially in cold, rainy areas, many high schools will continue to choose artificial turf instead. We must then learn as soon as possible if these newer turf surfaces present a health risk — not just of blowing out your knee — but taking your life.

Dr. David Geier is an orthopaedic surgeon in Charleston.

Here's a link to the NBC Investigative report:
How Safe Is the Artificial Turf Your Child Plays On?
by Hannah Rappleye

Soccer coach Amy Griffin was in a Seattle hospital visiting a young goalie who was receiving chemotherapy when a nurse said something that made the hair on Griffin's neck stand up.

It was 2009. Two young female goalies Griffin knew had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Griffin, associate head coach for the University of Washington's women's soccer team, had started to visit the women and other athletes in local hospitals, helping them pass the time during chemo with war stories from her three decades of coaching.

That day, the nurse looked down at the woman Griffin was sitting with and said, "Don't tell me you guys are goalkeepers. You're the fourth goalkeeper I've hooked up this week."

Later, the young woman with the chemo needle in her arm would say, "I just have a feeling it has something to do with those black dots."

Artificial turf fields are now everywhere in the United States, from high schools to multi-million-dollar athletic complexes. As any parent or player who has been on them can testify, the tiny black rubber crumbs of which the fields are made -- chunks of old tires -- get everywhere. In players' uniforms, in their hair, in their cleats.

But for goalkeepers, whose bodies are in constant contact with the turf, it can be far worse. In practices and games, they make hundreds of dives, and each plunge sends a black cloud of tire pellets into the air. The granules get into their cuts and scrapes, and into their mouths. Griffin wondered if those crumbs - which have been known to contain carcinogens and chemicals - were making players sick....
[/quote]
(This post was last modified: 01-12-2016 10:13 AM by 49RFootballNow.)
01-11-2016 04:21 AM
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GoodOwl Offline
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RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
(01-11-2016 04:15 AM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Uh, oh:





E:60 Excerpt - The Turf War

There are over 12,000 synthetic turf fields in the US, most of them contain ground up tires, called crumb rubber. Recently, questions have been raised about these fields and a possible link to cancer. Julie Foudy explores the issue in this E:60 excerpt:





"There's something like 27 chemicals of concern, 11 of which are carcinogenic: Mercury, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead..."
01-11-2016 04:22 AM
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CougarRed Offline
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Post: #3
RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
Are there any cancer stats outside of Seattle?

If Seattle is the only place of statistical significancy, then they might have gotten a bad batch of rubber pellets. Or maybe they built some soccer fields on old land fills.
01-11-2016 04:19 PM
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GoodOwl Offline
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RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
(01-11-2016 04:19 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  Are there any cancer stats outside of Seattle?

If Seattle is the only place of statistical significancy, then they might have gotten a bad batch of rubber pellets. Or maybe they built some soccer fields on old land fills.

The studies were done in Connecticut, according to the videos. The part that got my attention was where they said that more chemicals may be released in hotter climates. I recall being on a fieldturf field in July and how I could "smell" it. So, worse for schools in the deep south and desert southwest, like Houston, for instance.
01-11-2016 04:24 PM
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chidave Offline
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Post: #5
RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
I remember seeing the E60 story when it aired, scary stuff.
01-11-2016 04:28 PM
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techdawg88 Offline
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Post: #6
RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
everything gives you cancer now in days
01-11-2016 04:32 PM
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Stick4489 Offline
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Post: #7
RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
(01-11-2016 04:21 AM)GoodOwl Wrote:  The safety of grass and turf fields
Dr. Geier @DrDavidGeier
Dec 12 2015 4:09 pm


Schools across the nation are replacing grass football and soccer fields with artificial turf. Recent events and news reports now have parents questioning whether these fields are safe for our kids.

The debate over turf versus grass fields intensified this summer. Matches of the Women’s World Cup in Canada were played on turf despite criticism from many of the players. On Saturday, the U.S. Women’s National Team refused to play a match in Hawaii’s Aloha Stadium. According to an article written by the team for The Players’ Tribune, the artificial turf was old and pulling out of the ground. Rocks were embedded in the turf throughout the field. The U.S. Soccer Federation later declared the field to be unplayable.

The cancellation came one day after USWNT midfielder Megan Rapinoe tore the ACL in her right knee on a grass training field. According to the team, the pitch was in bad condition, and sewer plates were lying along the sidelines.

In the case of the USWNT, the debate centers around fairness. The women’s team will play eight of its 10 Victory tour games on turf, while the men’s team reportedly hasn’t played on turf at all this year. Clearly buckling, aging turf and poorly maintained grass with hazards along the perimeter are not safe for the players.

We need to determine the safest fields, not just for the pros and national teams, but for kids who play football and soccer too. More schools install these latest generation artificial turf fields every year.

These surfaces, like FieldTurf, have crumb rubber bases with synthetic blades of grass woven into them. They appeal to schools located in areas with inconsistent weather or shrinking budgets that make maintaining the condition of the grass difficult.

On one hand, Rapinoe’s injury makes one of the primary arguments for turf. Grass fields in poor condition could cause serious knee injuries as players step into holes with little grass. The turf provides a more consistent playing surface, especially at the end of a season when grass fields are worn out. Some studies, although not all, actually show a higher rate of ACL tears on these newer artificial turf fields.

Perhaps the scarier risk, though, could be reports linking artificial turf to cancer in soccer players. Amy Griffin, the associate women’s soccer coach at the University of Washington, has kept a list of soccer players who developed cancer after years of playing on artificial turf. After a 2014 NBC News report on the possible link, Griffin heard from players across the country worried about the potential harmful chemicals that could be released from the rubber crumbs.

According to a follow-up story by NBC News this fall, Griffin’s list has grown to 63 former soccer players with cancer, mostly goalkeepers. 15 players have died. At this point, however, no scientific data has conclusively shown a link between artificial turf fields and cancer. According to the NBC report, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has backed down from a prior endorsement of artificial turf due to insufficient research.

If athletes want to play on grass fields, schools and teams must keep them in top shape. Given the cost to maintain grass, especially in cold, rainy areas, many high schools will continue to choose artificial turf instead. We must then learn as soon as possible if these newer turf surfaces present a health risk — not just of blowing out your knee — but taking your life.

Dr. David Geier is an orthopaedic surgeon in Charleston.

Here's a link to the NBC Investigative report:
How Safe Is the Artificial Turf Your Child Plays On?
by Hannah Rappleye

Soccer coach Amy Griffin was in a Seattle hospital visiting a young goalie who was receiving chemotherapy when a nurse said something that made the hair on Griffin's neck stand up.

It was 2009. Two young female goalies Griffin knew had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Griffin, associate head coach for the University of Washington's women's soccer team, had started to visit the women and other athletes in local hospitals, helping them pass the time during chemo with war stories from her three decades of coaching.

That day, the nurse looked down at the woman Griffin was sitting with and said, "Don't tell me you guys are goalkeepers. You're the fourth goalkeeper I've hooked up this week."

Later, the young woman with the chemo needle in her arm would say, "I just have a feeling it has something to do with those black dots."

Artificial turf fields are now everywhere in the United States, from high schools to multi-million-dollar athletic complexes. As any parent or player who has been on them can testify, the tiny black rubber crumbs of which the fields are made -- chunks of old tires -- get everywhere. In players' uniforms, in their hair, in their cleats.

But for goalkeepers, whose bodies are in constant contact with the turf, it can be far worse. In practices and games, they make hundreds of dives, and each plunge sends a black cloud of tire pellets into the air. The granules get into their cuts and scrapes, and into their mouths. Griffin wondered if those crumbs - which have been known to contain carcinogens and chemicals - were making players sick....
[/quote]

Poppycock.
01-11-2016 04:35 PM
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Ole Blue Offline
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Post: #8
RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
Good info. Thanks for posting! Scary stuff - surely merits study!
01-11-2016 05:35 PM
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pilot172000 Offline
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Post: #9
RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
The rubber they use for artificial turf comes from my home town, about two miles from where I type this post. I am not quite buying the whole artificial turf causes cancer bit. We live in an age where everything causes cancer. They have been doing here for 15 plus years and no reported cases of cancer linked to the occupation of making the stuff. Maybe it causes cancer when you mix it with Cannabis! This is Seattle we are talking about. They could formulate proof that picking your nose causes cancer if they wanted.
01-11-2016 05:44 PM
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goherd24herdfans Offline
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Post: #10
RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
Oxygen also causes cancer
01-11-2016 09:10 PM
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HogDawg Offline
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Post: #11
RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
Cell phones cause cancer.
01-11-2016 11:07 PM
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DogsWin1 Offline
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Post: #12
RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
According to the Mayo Clinic smoking, radiation, viruses, chemicals (carcinogens), obesity, hormones, chronic inflammation and a lack of exercise can be causes of cancer.
01-12-2016 12:07 AM
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banker Offline
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Post: #13
RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
Reminds me of my favorite Stephen Wright joke:

A recent study has shown that oxygen can cause cancer, but only if taken in small doses over a long period of time.

Is there a history of cancer issues with folks that work at tire manufacturing plants and other industries that work with rubber in the manufacturing process? Seems like that would be the place to link this to concerns.
01-12-2016 12:38 AM
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goherd24herdfans Offline
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Post: #14
RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
Given the interest, one could find a way to link cancer to nearly everything on this planet.

You sleep 12 hours a day and have cancer? Sleeping too much causes cancer

You run 5 miles a day and exercise 3 times a day, and got cancer? Exercise linked to cancer.

You get the point.
01-12-2016 12:50 AM
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MonGNARch Offline
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RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
I don't have a dog in this debate because I don't know enough about it but I have always preferred playing on natural grass than turf anyways... I just like the feeling and when you fall or get tackled you don't have to worry about turf burn. I like the way the grass cuts up under your cleats and those rubber pellets from turf get stuck everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE lol
01-12-2016 06:58 AM
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VA49er Offline
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RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
(01-12-2016 06:58 AM)MonGNARch Wrote:  I don't have a dog in this debate because I don't know enough about it but I have always preferred playing on natural grass than turf anyways... I just like the feeling and when you fall or get tackled you don't have to worry about turf burn. I like the way the grass cuts up under your cleats and those rubber pellets from turf get stuck everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE lol

I agree. There was a reason the women complained so much about having to play the last World Cup on turf.
01-12-2016 08:32 AM
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Artifice Offline
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RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
natural grass. /debate
01-12-2016 08:51 AM
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VA49er Offline
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RE: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
(01-12-2016 08:51 AM)Artifice Wrote:  natural grass. /debate

We all know it comes down to $$. Natural fields cost more long term to maintain, etc.
01-12-2016 09:20 AM
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9erken Offline
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Post: #19
RE: OT: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
(01-12-2016 12:50 AM)goherd24herdfans Wrote:  Given the interest, one could find a way to link cancer to nearly everything on this planet.

You sleep 12 hours a day and have cancer? Sleeping too much causes cancer

You run 5 miles a day and exercise 3 times a day, and got cancer? Exercise linked to cancer.

You get the point.
That phrasing is problematic and misused by the media. But would anyone really argue that there aren't some substances that with exposure will be more likely to result in cancer than others?

If the increased risk is high enough from these artificial fields as opposed to other types of fields, we would want to avoid having kids play on them, right?
01-12-2016 11:00 AM
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CougarRed Offline
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Post: #20
RE: OT: Synthetic turf fields may be causing cancer
(01-11-2016 04:24 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  
(01-11-2016 04:19 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  Are there any cancer stats outside of Seattle?

If Seattle is the only place of statistical significancy, then they might have gotten a bad batch of rubber pellets. Or maybe they built some soccer fields on old land fills.

The studies were done in Connecticut, according to the videos.

And Connecticut found there was no risk.

The only "list" of cancer patients comes from Seattle. I concede that the list titled in favor of goalies is quite alarming. No one has ruled out, however, that Seattle got a bad batch of rubber pellets. Or that Seattle built soccer fields on old land fills that could be toxic, etc.

Since no one has made the connection between goalies and rubber pellets outside of Seattle and no one in Seattle has ruled out other causes, then I remain skeptical that it's a nationwide issue until someone presents more proof than just "rubber pellets contain certain chemicals that can be carcinogenic."
(This post was last modified: 01-12-2016 11:03 AM by CougarRed.)
01-12-2016 11:03 AM
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