From The Philadelphia Inquirer: It's been more than a year since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began looking to see if the artificial turf used on many sports fields releases chemicals that might be harmful to children. With turf fields continuing to open at a rate of roughly 800 a year, federal officials are under increasing pressure to say whether any risk exists. Some watchdog groups say the EPA is stalling.
FROM APRIL 2008: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has begun investigating potential hazards from lead in some artificial turf sports fields across the country. Synthetic playing surfaces are increasingly popular because they are durable and easy to maintain. But two fields in New Jersey, The College of New Jersey's Lions' Stadium Field in Ewing and Frank Sinatra Park in Hoboken, were closed this week after state health regulators said they found high levels of lead in turf fiber samples. The California Interscholastic Federation's North Coast Section, said at least 20 percent of its 170 schools have artificial turf fields.
