Comment
Rubber Crumb Update
Don’t swallow! I
When the European Chemicals Agency published its ‘must read’ report on the safety of rubber crumb infill, certain quarters saw this as a green light for its continued use. Yet, on closer inspection, perhaps the light should be stuck on amber. Peter Britton reports
t was regarded as a ‘must read’ by certain sectors of our industry, not least the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG), when the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) delivered their evaluation on the rubber crumb infill used in 3G turf pitches at the end of February.
Why a must read? Because the report stated that “recycled rubber infill causes a very low level of concern” and was, therefore, deemed as a green light for the industry to continue to use rubber crumb as an infill in all new installations.
The report stated: ECHA has found no reason to advise people against playing sports on synthetic turf containing recycled rubber granules as infill material. This advice is based on ECHA’s evaluation that there is a very low level of concern from exposure to substances found in the granules. This is based on the current evidence available. However, due to the uncertainties, ECHA makes several recommendations to ensure that any remaining concerns are eliminated.
ECHA has evaluated the human health risks from substances found in recycled rubber granules that are used as an infill material in synthetic turf, such as that used in outdoor and indoor football fields.
By 2020, it is estimated that 21,000 full size pitches and about 72,000 mini-pitches will exist in the EU. Rubber granules used as an infill material are mainly produced from end-of-life tyres (ELT) and the industry has informed ECHA that most of this infill material is made from EU-produced tyres. The quantity of tyres and recycled rubber granules
imported into the EU is reported to be small. However, ECHA cannot verify this information from an independent source.
ECHA has identified a number of hazardous substances in recycled rubber granules from the literature and from the results of several recent studies. These are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, phthalates, volatile organic hydrocarbons (VOCs) and semi-volatile organic hydrocarbons (SVOCs).
ECHA has investigated the risks to children playing football and other sports on synthetic sports fields (including goalkeepers), adults playing professional sports and workers installing or maintaining the fields and has considered exposure to rubber granules by skin contact, ingestion and inhalation of substances evaporating from the granules, as well as dust formed by the granules themselves.
ECHA therefore concludes that there is, at most, a very low level of concern from exposure to recycled rubber granules:
Sounds positive, doesn’t it? That is, until you read the list of ‘uncertainties’ identified in the ECHA’s evaluation:
PC APRIL/MAY 2017 I 13
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