Comment
no links to the industry, should provide a second opinion?”
He continued; “The IOG believes this is an issue that must not be literally swept under the carpet, but we must take a balanced view. What we need with rubber crumb are safe standards that make any component part of any surface fit for use and safe for the end user.”
I concur with Geoff Webb’s summation. Sadly, however, there are too many interested parties who have invested huge amounts of money to get the product to where it is today. They have a vested financial interest that requires the wearing of rose coloured glasses when passing any comment on the subject of rubber crumb.
Should the outcome of any research require the removal of rubber crumb from the marketplace, not only would the manufacturers, installers and landscapers lose a product once thought to be safe, but governments, municipalities and local authorities around the world would be left with the huge and ongoing problem of how to dispose of used tyres. Remember that they are already deemed toxic by the HSE here in the UK and various US agencies.
Furthermore, a Scottish professor has released his findings on rubber crumb. Samples were sent for testing by the Environmental Scientifics Group in Burton on Trent, and the results were passed to Prof. Andrew Watterson, an environmental health expert from Stirling University.
He said: “This report confirms and reveals the presence of a number of carcinogens in the rubber crumb.”
“If the chemicals and metals remain locked into the crumb, there will be no exposure. However, it seems to be fairly clear there may be some potential risk from some of these substances to sports people.”
“To what extent and what effect carcinogenic compounds may be taken up through inhalation, skin absorption or ingestion, and under what conditions, remains the big question.”
The Daily Mirror, who reported the findings in late March, commented that they had tried
to contact SAPCA for a comment, to no avail. Additionally, they pointed out that “the safety labels on rubber crumb products warn workers laying pitches not to breathe the vapour and avoid skin contact.”
In what may be considered to be a landmark decision, Surfleet Play and Recreation Committee (SPARC), the charity that owns the ten-acre Glen Park children’s and leisure complex in the Lincolnshire village, had been planning to fund a new, all-weather pitch for use by football and hockey teams.
But, after committee members learned about a study by the University of Washington, which claimed there was a connection between rubber granules used to make 3G artificial pitches and about 200 cancer patients, the plans were “put on hold”.
SPARC trustee, Doug Whyles, said: “The idea of a 3G pitch first arose about two or three years ago when we had Pinchbeck United’s junior football team here and they were nominated as an anchor club by the Football Foundation.”
“By the middle of last year, we’d acquired funding for the project and had expected to make a start on the new pitch later this year. But, as soon as the alleged cases of cancer related to these pitches emerged in the USA, we were persuaded that we couldn’t go ahead with the project and it was put on hold.”
Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? Well, the European Union (EU) recently announced that they are “considering health issue concerning rubber crumb”.
They have stated that; “The rubber, used in the construction of 3G pitches has been linked to harmful chemicals called PAHs, which are known to be highly carcinogenic (cancer-causing), especially to children.”
“The European Commission has put a restriction on the manufacturing, use and placing on the market of PAHs. Companies began to comply with the restriction on December 27th, 2015.”
The most recent discussion about recycled rubber took place in November 2015 at an EU member-state competent authorities meeting.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), which is the driving force behind regulatory chemical authorities in Europe, has begun to prepare a guideline to define which products or parts of products will fall under the scope of European restrictions.
Good news indeed, but surely it is now time for the UK Government and the British Medical Association to initiate thorough research into this potentially harmful by- product? And, whilst doing so, keep in mind the cloak and dagger methods employed to keep asbestos available when the dangers were known!
The bottom line here may well be that rubber crumb is perfectly safe but, please, let's find out once and for all, for the sake of our children and grandchildren.
Further reading:
https://www.iog.org/news/3g-rubber-crumb- inconvenient-truth-comment-iog-ceo-geoff-webb
https://syntheticturfcouncil.site-
ym.com/news/news.asp?id=221847
https://www.pitchcare.com/magazine/eu- considering-health-issues-of-rubber-in-artificial-
pitches.html
http://www.hse.gov.uk/reach/
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