COMMENT
It included a list of
recommendations that suggested the product was
”
anything but safe, but it was still accepted as gospel by those with a vested interest
purely cobbled together ‘studies’ that had already been brought into doubt, before finally announcing that ‘rubber crumb was safe’ (search ‘Don’t Swallow’ on the Pitchcare website).
It included a list of recommendations that suggested the product was anything but safe, but it was still accepted as gospel by those with a vested interest.
Further concerns
Back in Holland, RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) has further added to the debate. Their report, published this July, states that; ‘rubber granulate on synthetic turf fields causes environmental impact’.
“Use of rubber granulate sourced from car tyres, on synthetic turf fields can be harmful to the environment in the close vicinity of these fields. Substances leach from rubber granulate and enter the soil in the field border and in the ditches.
This is shown by an exploratory research project conducted by RIVM around ten synthetic turf pitches of football clubs in the Netherlands. In the study, the quality of the environment around synthetic turf fields containing rubber granulate from car tyres was compared with the environmental quality around real grass fields.
At various locations, the concentrations of zinc, cobalt and mineral oil exceed the environmental quality standards for soil and sediment (Soil Quality Decree). The environment is particularly sensitive to high
concentrations of zinc; however, zinc is not a health issue for humans.
The environmental 12 PC August/September 2018
Former Bolton Wanderers and England striker Kevin Davies opens the new pitches at Ladybridge High School in Bolton
impact is caused by the fact that rubber granulate is dragged along by athletes or the public or is dispersed for instance by leaf blowers, and reaches the soil borders up to a few metres distance from the field. In addition, substances from rubber granulate leach into the drainage water: that is rainwater that passes the sport fields and ends up in the field borders via drainpipes to a ditch.
Cobalt, zinc and mineral oil leaching from rubber granulate can accumulate in the technical sublayers of the synthetic turf. From there they can, in the short or long term, further leach to the environment.
The conclusions from this research are largely confirmed by a study of the Foundation for Applied Water Research (STOWA), the knowledge centre of regional water managers in the Netherlands. In this study, effects on living organisms were found in a part of the samples of
drainage water and sediment.
RIVM recommends that measures be taken to
prevent the spreading of rubber granulate to the field borders and to limit the emission of substances via the drainage water.”
Clearly, there are now concerns regarding the wider environment that go beyond just the health of our children. If the chemicals found in rubber crumb are leaching into our waterways, then surely everyone is at risk!
A complete disregard for the potential dangers?
Between the 1st May and the end of June, Pitchcare received twenty press releases from the Football Foundation highlighting new 3G installations across the UK. That equates to 120 per annum... and all of these were at schools and/or junior football clubs. At each venue, either a local MP or a recently retired football star was wheeled out to perform the official opening ceremony - usually surrounded by smiling children - thereby providing a photo opportunity and story for the regional media.
The cost of each installation averaged out at around the £0.5million mark, delivered by the Football Foundation with support from the FA Facilities Fund and the Premier League. Sport England chipped in with additional funding as and where required.
Extravagant claims about increased
activity, new teams and year round usage were made, adding flesh to the ‘newsworthy’ text. Remember that these installations come on the back of the ECHA report and ahead of the EPA (Environmental Protect Agency) findings from the United States.
FA flannel
“Only one in three pitches at grassroots level is of adequate quality,” stated the Football Association back in late July as part of their written evidence for a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) parliamentary hearing about the possible sale of Wembley Stadium. The FA says it is “considering a sale
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