Keep Off the Astroturf

A couple of years ago, Charlie was in a “buddy ball” program in which college students were paired with special needs children to play soccer. The kids were divided into two (large) groups and Charlie, who has trouble tracking moving objects and balls in particular—and a ball that is rolling or being kicked at on a field with numerous other legs and feet all around—-mostly spent his time running up and down the edges, sometimes urged on by Jim and me. The game was held on an astroturf field as some of the children were in wheel chairs; I had my own concerns about Charlie on that hard plastic grass. He was less agile than he is now and not very happy about school, and very liable to bang his head and the loose structure of the games made him nervous and we usually left with him hot and fretful.

Astroturf itself may pose more health hazards even when you don’t fall down on it. Dr. Philip Landrigan, who heads the department of community and preventative medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, notes that not only can astroturf fields get very hot and cause abrasions that are more likely to get infected. Dr. Landrigan links astroturf to autism. From the October 16th Stamford Advocate:

After recently reviewing a report from New Haven-based Environment and Human Health Inc., Landrigan said he agrees that the shredded tires and the affect on children’s health should be studied further.

The report centered on a recent study by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven.
The study found that under laboratory conditions the tire fragments released at least four dangerous compounds, including one recognized carcinogen, under slightly elevated temperatures. The compounds can irritate eyes, skin and mucous membranes. The rubber also was found to leach heavy metals into water.
The organization has asked for a moratorium on the further installation of the synthetic turf fields until more research is done.

…

Landrigan also focused on the increasing incidence of asthma, childhood cancers and developmental disorders, such as autism. He said there are chemicals that haven’t been tested for their possible toxicity, and children are more susceptible to exposure because they drink more water and often transfer substances to their mouths. Children also are still developing and they take longer to rid their bodies of chemicals, he said.

Of course, if you’re playing ball on natural turf (= actual grass), there is the problem of exposure to pesticides (and, where we live, to what Canadian geese leave behind).

I think we’ll stick to swimming.