Comment
With the RFU reportedly committing £50m to one hundred 3G floodlit pitches for the grassroots game over the next four-years, and the FA similarly beginning the installation of thirty of Greg Dyke’s 3G hubs, Peter Britton questions the morality of these advancements given that scientific studies in the USA are pointing towards respiratory and carcinogenic effects of the rubber crumb infill.
He also asks why Government is not investigating further given the health risks to children and young adults
W
hen manufacturers and builders began using asbestos in the late 19th century because of its sound absorption properties, average tensile strength and resistance to fire, it was
concluded that a naturally occurring wonder product had been ‘unearthed’. Its fibrous natural state meant that, once mined, it could be woven, sculpted and formed, and was used widely throughout much of the 20th century for a staggering array of purposes, including:
- fire retardant coatings - concrete, bricks and pipes - fireplace cement and joint compound - heat, fire, and acid resistant gaskets - pipe insulation - ceiling insulation - fireproofing dry walls, flooring and roofing - brake pads and shoes - garden furniture - safety clothing - kitchen accoutrements
However, for much of that century, there had been rumblings, and indeed considerable evidence, that asbestos was both carcinogenic (cancer causing) and precipitated irreversible respiratory problems. Yet, it was not until the 1980s that its use was first restricted and then, in the 1990s, banned altogether. Its continuing long-term use after harmful health
effects were known or suspected, and the fact that asbestos-related diseases can emerge decades later, resulted in litigation that has become the longest, most expensive mass civil lawsuit in American history. Asbestos-related liability remains an ongoing concern for many manufacturers, insurers and reinsurers. The United States government, and the asbestos
industry in general, were criticised for not acting quickly enough to inform the public of dangers and to reduce public exposure. In the late 1970s, court documents proved that asbestos industry officials had known of the dangers since the 1930s, but had concealed them from the public.
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