The artificial turf played on by children, teens, and professional athletes in California might be getting a government-mandated makeover, thanks to a recent lawsuit filed by the California Attorney General’s Office.
The lawsuit alleges that three major producers of artificial grass—FieldTurf Tarkett, Astro Turf, and Beaulieu Group—“have knowingly and intentionally exposed individuals within the State of California to lead.” Deputy Attorney General Dennis Ragen has gone on record saying that he wants more than company officials’ word that such exposures won’t happen in the future.
Tests conducted by the California Attorney General’s Office and the office of the Los Angeles City Attorney led them to conclude that the three companies “failed to provide clear and reasonable warnings” of the usage of lead in their products. The offices claim that the companies are in violation of Proposition 65, a decades-old ballot measure that requires warnings on any toxic substances.
Along with banning the use of lead in future products, Ragen said he wants warnings posted near existing fields with artificial turf. Also, he plans to start a campaign geared toward educating people using the fields to wash their hands to avoid ingesting any lead.
In a statement to the media, Joe Fields, CEO of FieldTurf Tarkett, said his company’s fields are safe. He said there have been no reports of injuries or illnesses caused by lead despite 2,700 fields installed around the world.
And according to a July report released by the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission, children are “not at risk from exposure to lead” from playing on artificial surfaces.
Still, many government officials, including State Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria), want more research done on the topic. Earlier this year, Maldonado piloted a bill that would require three state agencies to evaluate the health and environmental risks of artificial turf. The bill was approved by the legislature and is awaiting approval from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
This article appears in Sep 11-18, 2008.