In response to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise article “Turf field approved, incumbents re-elected in Saranac Lake”, published on May 21, Marc Wanner of Saranac Lake wrote:
Artificial turf is made of nylon, polypropylene and/or polyethylene. Chemicals used include, lead, styrene, phthalates, benzene, arsenic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, cadmium, benzathiazole, hexane, toluene, formaldehyde, latex and PFAS, a class of about 15,000 chemicals often used to make products water-, stain- and fire-resistant. These chemicals have been linked to cancer, liver and kidney diseases, thyroid issues, birth defects, decreased immunity and other serious health problems. Synthetic turf is flammable unless treated with flame-retardants, which adds to the chemical hazard. Public health advocates say that all artificial turf is made with dangerous levels of PFAS that can be absorbed through the skin, inhaled or ingested.
“In 2024, the last thing we should be doing is putting down acres of a plastic fossil fuel product … with chemicals that are going to get all over athletes’ skin, and into soil and water,” Kyla Bennett, a scientist with the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, said. “It just boggles my mind that people are still considering using this stuff.”
