Washington, DC — A major artificial turf manufacturer’s effort to block a webinar about the hazards of synthetic turf has triggered a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against it. That suit, filed in Nassau County, New York, accuses the Polyloom Corporation of America of having engaged in an illegal Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) for trying to block the turf webinar by the non-profit Grassroots Environmental Education, featuring a presentation by a scientist from Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

The webinar slated for January 23, 2025, entitled “The Trouble with Turf” was intended to discuss potential adverse health risks of artificial turf, including the fact that most artificial grass blades contain toxic per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The session and material did not mention Polyloom Corporation, which self-describes as “one of the largest designers, producers, recyclers, manufacturers and installers of artificial turf in the United States.”

Three days before the webinar, Polyloom filed both a complaint and an application for a Temporary Restraining Order, preliminary injunction, and monetary damages against Grassroots Environmental Education, the webinar sponsor, and all the individuals slated to speak in it who were sued in their individual capacities. Polyloom’s action was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. On January 21^st, that court ordered the two sides to “meet and confer” before considering any motion to dismiss. As a result, Grassroots Environmental Education agreed to postpone its webinar indefinitely. The Tennessee court recently allowed Polyloom “limited discovery” which the court stated it did with “some hesitance.”

The new lawsuit, filed under the Civil Rights Law of New York by all the people and entities named in Polyloom’s action, charges the corporation of having engaged in an illegal SLAPP suit “for the purpose of harassing, intimidating, punishing, or maliciously inhibiting the free exercise of speech, petition or association rights.” The suit seeks $100,000 in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages, as well as all costs and attorneys’ fees.

“Corporate bullies should not get away with using the legal system to quash the truth,” stated PEER Science Policy Director Kyla Bennett, a scientist and attorney formerly with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and PEER’s leading spokesperson on artificial turf issues. Dr. Bennett was one of the scheduled speakers at the cancelled webinar. “The purpose of anti-SLAPP laws, such as New York’s, is to prevent corporations from intimidating people speaking out on matters of public concern.”

The webinar also featured Dr. Sarah Evans, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Jay Feldman, the Executive Director of Beyond Pesticides and an expert on alternatives to artificial turf, and Patricia Wood, Executive Director of Grassroots Environmental Education.

Dr. Evans stated, “All communities deserve access to unbiased, scientific information about the potential risks from play on artificial turf. Silencing scientists hurts communities, preventing them from accessing the information that they need to make evidence-based decisions to protect public health.”

“Our lawsuit is an important attempt to hold Polyloom accountable for false accusations on scientific questions of safety and the potential of synthetic turf to present a hazard to health and the environment,” Mr. Feldman stated. “Beyond Pesticides advances organic land management as an alternative to synthetic turf, and the discussion of this alternative should not be stifled by Polyloom or other corporations that have a vested economic interest in downplaying or misleading on the hazards associated with their products.”

“Our mission is to educate the public and decision makers about how environmental exposures can impact human health, especially for children,” says Ms. Wood. “Peer-reviewed research indicates that there can be significant adverse health outcomes associated with artificial turf. Toxic chemicals in some infill and other components of the fields, extreme heat, increased risk of injuries, and a plastic playing surface that sheds microplastics are a particular concern for children who are uniquely vulnerable due to immature physiological and behavioral differences.”

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Look at the SLAPP suit filed vs Polyloom

See Polyloom’s attempted restraining order vs the webinar

Examine host of public health and eco-concerns about artificial turf