IS IT SAFE TO
RECREATE ON
ARTIFICIAL TURF?
Artificial Turf -Some Call It
"Plastic Grass"
Important questions that may need to be asked
about heat, materials, environmental exposure, and long-term public health considerations.
Helpful Research Resources
Helpful Research Research on artificial turf materials continues to evolve. The resources below provide a range of perspectives from public health agencies, scientists, and environmental researchers to help inform ongoing public discussion.
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Tire Crumb Rubber Research Reports
EPA research examining how people may be exposed to materials used in synthetic turf fields and how those exposures occur during sports and recreation.
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Medical & Environmental
Health Research
Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center – Artificial Turf Position Statement
Explains how children may be exposed to chemicals on artificial turf through inhalation, skin contact, ingestion, and open wounds during normal play.
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Children’s Environmental Health Network – Crumb Rubber & Artificial Turf Fact Sheet
Summarizes research identifying chemicals that may be present in recycled tire crumb rubber used in turf systems, including PAHs, VOCs, metals, and other compounds.
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Position Statement on the Use of Artificial Turf Surfaces
May 29, 2025​https://mountsinaiexposomics.org/position-statement-on-the-use-of-artificial-turf-surfaces/
What does research say about grass vs. artificial turf safety debate in sports?
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​New York State Department of Health –
Synthetic Turf Fact Sheet
Provides an overview of crumb-rubber turf systems and ongoing research examining chemicals, heat exposure, and potential environmental impacts.
Artificial Turf ("Plastic Grass"):
Questions Worth Asking
At Residents for Resilience (R4R), we believe informed public discussion begins with asking thoughtful questions and making sure communities have
access to science-based information.
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As artificial turf continues to be installed in parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, and public spaces, many residents have raised important questions about how these synthetic surfaces perform over time — particularly in hot climates like South Florida, where heat, heavy rain, stormwater runoff, and long-term material exposure
may present additional health and environmental concerns.
Because it’s hard to care about what you don’t know about,
we believe this is an issue worth understanding carefully.
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Why This Discussion Matters
Artificial turf is often promoted as low-maintenance and durable, but growing scientific discussion continues around how synthetic turf materials behave
under prolonged heat, wear, and environmental exposure.
Questions increasingly being raised include:
• extreme surface heat that can create unsafe temperatures for children, athletes, and park users
• potential vapor release during high heat exposure from rubber and plastic-based materials
• turf dust and particulate exposure resulting from wear over time
• plastic fiber breakdown entering surrounding soil, stormwater systems, and nearby waterways
• landfill burden when fields reach the end of their useful life
• broader long-term environmental and public health questions still being actively studied
Why South Florida Requires
Special Attention
South Florida presents unique conditions that make this discussion especially important.
High temperatures, intense sunlight, heavy rainfall, and close proximity to waterways mean that material choices in public spaces may carry additional implications for both environmental performance and human exposure.
Questions worth asking include:
• How hot do artificial turf surfaces become during summer months?
• How does stormwater move across synthetic surfaces?
• What enters nearby drains, canals, and waterways over time?
• What happens when turf systems require replacement?
Expert Voices Helping Inform
the Discussion
To help bring science-based information into public conversation, two respected specialists will be speaking at an upcoming Sustainability Advisory Board meeting:
Sarah Evans
PhD, MPH
Associate Professor
Children’s Environmental Health Center
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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Susan Chapnick
Vice-Chair, Arlington Conservation Commission
President & Principal Scientist (retired), NEH, Inc.
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Their presentations will help provide additional perspective on health,
environmental, and long-term material considerations.
R4R’s Role
As with many evolving environmental and public health discussions, research surrounding artificial turf continues to develop. R4R’s goal is not to tell communities what to think, but to help fill the information gap by sharing credible resources, encouraging thoughtful questions, and supporting informed discussion as residents and public leaders consider both short-term and long-term impacts.
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Because Informed Communities Build
Stronger Communities
The goal is simple:
*Ask thoughtful questions.
*Review sound science.
*Understand long-term impacts.
*Make informed choices.
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Because resilience also includes what we place on the ground beneath us.
