Turf trouble? Environmental groups concerned about burns, harmful chemicals from fake grass

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — More metro Atlanta parks and schools are using artificial turf on their athletic fields, according to our sister station, WSB.

But some environmental groups say there are serious health concerns parents need to know about including exposure to harmful forever chemicals and risk of burns.

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“I’ve heard burning legs, burning hands, everything. I’ve actually burned a couple hands in my time,” said Xavier Bradley, catcher for the Atlanta RBI baseball team during practice at Gresham Park.

He has first-hand experience getting burns from playing on artificial turf.

“It would be on the hands on like sliding, forearms. I get them on a leg sometimes,” said Bradley.

“It does get hotter, but it’s bearable,” said Ethan Garrett who also plays for Atlanta RBI.

Read: More information on artificial turf from the Synthetic Turf Council

He said that while synthetic turf gets hotter than natural grass, he prefers it.

“It’s much better playing surface and much easier hops and it’s just more fun I’d say,” said Garrett.

WSB investigative reporter Sophia Choi wanted to know just how much hotter synthetic turf gets.

We got an infrared thermometer to test it. The temperature of the synthetic turf at a Brookhaven field measured 115 degrees. The grass right next to it measured 100 degrees.

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“But if it’s so hot, if it’s too hot to touch on any surface, not just our synthetic turf but our tennis courts, our basketball courts that are outdoors, any of those surfaces you got to use common sense. And if it’s too hot to play, you don’t play or practice,” said Chuck Ellis, DeKalb County’s Director of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Affairs.

He said artificial turf has several advantages over grass: it is easier to maintain and doesn’t need a rest period.

“A great advantage is that they can be played on all day long,” said Ellis.

But a 2023 study by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) found toxic forever chemicals, known as PFAS, in some synthetic turf.

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The environmental group measured the amount of PFAS on soccer players’ hands before and after games on three grass fields and three artificial turf fields.

“The players who played on artificial turf and the coach, three out of four of them, picked up a lot of PFOS,” said Kyla Bennett, PEER’s Director of Science Policy.

PFOS is one of the most well-studied and dangerous PFAS, according to Bennett.

She said forever chemicals are linked to serious health problems and “can cause kidney and testicular cancers. It can cause developmental problems. It can cause obesity, thyroid problems.”

Choi met Todd Wiggins, the President of Sports Turf Company, at Villa Rica High School’s stadium.

His company installed the artificial turf there.

“The manufacturer that we work with, Astroturf, they don’t utilize it in their manufacturing,” said Wiggins.

But he said that does not necessarily mean the synthetic turf does not have any PFAS.

“The challenge is, is once it leaves that facility and it travels to its place of installation, that they have no control over at that point. It’s in the environment,” said Wiggins.

He said PFAS are a challenge not just for artificial turf.

“We’re finding it even on natural grass fields,” said Wiggins.

The Synthetic Turf Council (STC), an advocacy group, told WSB it has worked with its members to ensure their products contain no intentionally added PFAS.

STC sent us this statement:

“Many schools, communities, and families in Georgia choose synthetic turf systems because of the benefits they bring in unlocking thousands of hours of additional play year-round, bringing down costs in the long run, and saving millions of gallons of water annually, and the synthetic turf industry takes our commitment to the safety and quality of our products extremely seriously.”

WSB went to the June groundbreaking for renovations at Dresden Park in Chamblee which include artificial turf fields.

Choi asked Chamblee leaders if they had concerns about forever chemicals turning up in those brand new fields.

“I would really like to see some more of that studying done. I would like to see them compare it to your natural grasses and the chemicals that you’re putting on the natural grasses,” said Jodie Gilfillan, Chamblee Parks, Recreation & Arts Director.

“We looked at the different artificial turfs out there, and we chose the one that was the most safe for our residents,” said Jimmy Furst, Chamblee Councilman At-Large and Mayor Pro Tem.

Currently, PEER is conducting a much bigger study looking at PFAS on the skin. Action News will share those results when the study is completed.

Everyone WSB spoke to said artificial turf is popular despite concerns about forever chemicals and burns because of demand.

So many people want to use these athletic fields, parks, and schools want to get as much use out of them as possible.

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