Hundreds of studies have been completed to discover the truth about any potential risks of artificial turf. Government health ministries and environmental bodies around the world have commissioned extensive research.

So have world health organizations, leading universities and independent scientific committees. Elected officials have reacted to the concerns of their constituents by commissioning studies to get the facts.

But recent headlines reveal the tactics being used by some with a different agenda. They do not report the truth.

The research has been done. The studies exist. Get the facts and find out for yourself.

Read what the experts have to say in independent testing, studies and reports on the potential health and environmental impact of artificial turf.

For a listing of the hundreds of studies carried out and a collection of the actual research and the factual conclusions, please download the documents at the end of this page.

• Tests comparing samples of artificial turf infilled with rubber showed similar release rates to control samples without any infill material.
• Tests show no VOC in tire factories to be in excess of those found in the ambient air levels. There is clear scientific evidence that release of PAHs into the environment is negligible relative to other sources such as cooking, power generation, wood stoves or vehicular traffic. Neighborhood Sunday BBQs release more volatile compounds into the atmosphere than the local artificial turf fields.
• In the event of ingestion of crumb particles, although highly improbable, the particles do not present any toxicity, as the digestive system is not powerful enough to extract the chemical components from the rubber.
• Tire waste has no toxic influence on fauna and micro-aquatic organisms. Inhaling is practically negligible because crumb rubber does not give off volatile products. Direct contact with the skin does not present any real danger, even from the point of view of allergy. Biological tests have shown the absence of genotoxicity.
• Not a single injury has ever been reported as a result of inhalation, ingestion or direct contact with rubber particles in artificial turf. Yet each year over 750,000 Americans suffer injuries - including 82,000 brain injuries - playing recreational sports. A five-year study shows artificial turf reduced neural injuries by 55% and cranial / cervical injuries by 47%.
• Artificial turf represents .0000075 of the rubber worn off tires on our roads. If this is a concern, why are we not doing anything about the 99.9999925 part of the problem?

The results of a long-term study confirms that the rubber granules used in the construction of artificial turf fields pose absolutely no threat to the environment.

ALIAPUR, the leading French government body responsible for used tires, along with ADEME, the French Agency for Environment and Energy Management has completed a scientific study that aimed at evaluating possible environmental impact from the rubber granules in sports fields that are derived from recycled used car tires.

The studies prove no cause for concern to human health. The results indicate the following:

1. A comparable behavior regardless which type of infill material was used - whether SBR from used tires, new TPE thermoplastic material or EPDM new virgin rubber material.
2. The absence of impact of these materials on water resources.
3. There was no effect on health associated with the inhalation of VOC and aldehydes emitted by artificial surfaces.
4. Emissions from the artificial turf without any infill material are very low compared with those from other construction products (ex: parquet flooring).
5. The emissions from the artificial turf containing SBR (rubber granules from used tires) and from TPE (new material thermoplastic rubber granules) are both relatively low. "Relatively low" by European standards signifies an environmentally safe substance.
6. The emissions from the artificial turf containing EPDM (new virgin material rubber granules) are greater.
7. From an ecotoxicological point of view and on the basis of a comparison with strict European health standards, the water that passed through the artificial grass sample fields was proven to have no impact on the environment, regardless of the type of infill in the turf.

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