Artificial turf safety tensions rise due to youth sports injuries and concerns over chemicals

Natalie Silva, a high school senior from Massachusetts, wants to play soccer in college, but she is still recovering from a right knee injury sustained during a game more than a year ago.

Silva remembers colliding with an opposing player. As she fell, she heard her knee “snap” as her cleats got stuck in the turf on a field where her Uxbridge High School team was playing an away match.

“I was playing on an indoor field where the grass is on concrete. If it was grass, there would have been more cushion,” said Silva, 18, who goes to school about 50 miles southwest of Boston. She said she met with her doctor, who was concerned that her cleats were designed for playing on grass and not turf. “The turf was 100 percent a factor in my injury,” Silva said.

The multibillion-dollar artificial turf industry has convinced local governments and school boards that artificial turf fields are a way to save money and increase playing time for young people. As hundreds of synthetic fields and playing fields are installed each year in schools, colleges and public parks across the United States, stakeholders from lawmakers to school boards to soccer players debate claims like Silva’s about the safety of playing on such surfaces.

Boston and Westport, Connecticut, have effectively banned turf containing rubber from recycled tires due to concerns about chemical exposure. Vermont has adopted restrictions, and in California, reversing a previous decision now allows local communities to impose bans.

Groups like the NFL Players Association, physical therapists and other clinicians believe playing on turf increases the risk of torn ligaments, sprained ankles and other injuries.

A study of NFL data released in 2024 found a higher incidence of lower extremity injuries on artificial turf than on natural turf. The odds of a serious injury requiring season-ending surgery were significantly higher, the study found.

“Anterior cruciate ligament and ankle sprains are the biggest injuries we see on turf,” said Zach Smith, founder of HIDEF Physical Therapy, who works with athletes in Seattle as they recover from turf-related injuries.

“Turf provides better grip and more friction,” he said. “Great for performance, but bad for the joints. »

Security debate intensifies

Artificial turf — first widely introduced in the 1960s at the former domed stadium of Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros — is made from plastic to mimic the appearance of turf. It usually contains tiny black granules called “rubber crumbs”, processed using shredded tires.

As of 2020, there were 13,000 synthetic turf sports fields in the United States, with about 1,500 installed each year, according to the National Recreation and Park Association. These days, young people playing sports, from soccer to field hockey and lacrosse to soccer, are less likely to play on natural grass than on artificial turf, also called artificial turf, synthetic turf or astroturf.

The Synthetic Turf Council, a leading industry trade group, did not return calls and emails to answer questions about chemical hazards and injuries. But the industry pointed to research showing no definitive link between artificial turf and health problems, including sports injuries.

Manufacturers stand behind their product.

“Artificial turf allows children to play safely on a lush, mud-free surface year-round,” said Adam Grossman, chief executive officer of Southern Turf Co., headquartered in Austin, Texas.

“No fertilizers, pesticides or watering are required,” Grossman said, adding that his company’s products are “non-toxic.”

Brad Blastick, president of Lazy Grass Co. in Alpharetta, Ga., said his company’s products feature “built-in cushioning, helping to reduce injuries and keep children active and safe.”

In a January letter protesting a proposal from Santa Clara County, Calif., to ban artificial turf, Synthetic Turf Council President and CEO Melanie Taylor said “chemicals are ubiquitous in today’s environment, including water, air, soil and a variety of food products.”

Synthetic turf contains no more than what is found in other parts of the environment and it helps communities across the country save money, Taylor said in the letter. “Motions to ban artificial turf hinder the ability of communities to access these benefits. [and] should be reconsidered,” she wrote.

Long-term consequences

Turfgrass critics dispute the industry’s claims, particularly those regarding safety.

Granulated rubber pellets in turf contain toxic chemicals such as petroleum compounds, metals and lead, according to Stuart Shalat, former director of the Division of Environmental Health at Georgia State University.

“When fields heat up, they can give off fumes or transfer chemicals to the skin,” explained Shalat, now retired. “And we don’t yet fully understand the long-term effects, especially for children.”

Paideia School, a private K-12 school in Atlanta, is moving from grass to turf at Python Park, its off-campus location in Avondale Estates that has two soccer fields and a baseball and softball field.

Janet Metzger, a self-described environmentalist who lives near Python Park, said she tried to persuade the school to cancel the project because she was worried about the impact on nature.

“When there is natural grass, there are insects and life in the soil that keep the area vibrant,” Metzger said. “Sod kills the environment and harms all the species that live there.”

Paideia School declined an interview request to answer questions about why it installs turf.

In instituting their restrictions on turf fields, government officials in California and Vermont said they were concerned about PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” and other hazardous materials that can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin.

A 2024 report from the federal Environmental Protection Agency on rubber crumbs in turf found that chemicals associated with rubber crumbs from tires were present in the air, on surfaces and on the skin of study participants, but concluded that there were not elevated levels in their bodies. The EPA researchers, however, said their study was not designed to assess the health risks associated with rubber crumbs.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Consumer Protection Agency issued recommendations to limit exposure to recycled crumb rubber tire materials used in playground surfaces, encouraging people to wash their hands and other exposed skin after leaving playgrounds with these surfaces, and to avoid eating and drinking on site.

This year is shaping up to be one of the hottest on record. Turf absorbs heat from the sun and can become much hotter than natural grass, creating a health risk, according to the Center for Environmental Health.

“On turf, you have more blisters, toe and turf burns. I play recreational soccer now and take care of the blisters myself,” said Smith, a Seattle physical therapist who specializes in orthopedic injuries and rehabilitation. “Turf gets hot, and when you add sweat and heat, it becomes a dangerous combination.”

Brian Feeley, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of California, San Francisco, said his studies show that ACL and Achilles tendon injuries are more likely to occur on turf and require surgery.

“Artificial turf doesn’t release the studs as easily,” he said. “This puts more torque and pressure on the knees and ankles.”

And Feeley said the long-term consequences can be serious: “An ACL injury as a young athlete can prevent you from playing at the next level and lead to arthritis in your 30s.” »

Silva, the injured high school soccer player, said she wished her games had been played on natural grass. The Uxbridge High School principal’s office and athletic department declined multiple requests for comment.

She vividly remembers the February 2024 match when she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.

“I went up to head the ball and landed awkwardly on my right leg,” she said. “The goalkeeper hit me at full speed and my knee burst. I immediately fell to the ground in agony. Every bump in the car on the way home made my leg jump – it felt detached.”

Before the injury, Silva said, she had hoped to play soccer in college. Today, she attends rehabilitation classes three times a week and cannot play for a full year.

When asked about her future in football, Silva said she didn’t know what to expect. Right now, she’s just trying to enjoy her senior year.

“The mental aspect is the worst,” Silva said. “The feeling of one day being able to do everything and the next day not being able to walk or even move your leg. The mental aspect lasts longer than the pain.”