Artificial Turf, Why? By Julie Peller, Ph.D.

Green Junction

The vast majority (92%) of professional football players prefer natural grass to artificial turf. This summer in the United States, 11 National Football League (NFL) stadiums have hosted the World Cup soccer games. In eight of the stadiums, artificial turf was replaced with natural grass, since this is a requirement of the Federation Internationale de Football Association, FIFA. A player spokesperson for the NFL Players Association stated, “NFL players – who regularly compete on these fields, help fund these stadiums and whose work makes the league what it is today – deserve the same commitment to quality grass fields.”

Artificial turf was introduced in the late 1960s and first permanently installed in Franklin Field in Philadelphia in 1969. Many athletes have reported increased aches and pains after playing on artificial turf fields. NFL injury data collected between 2012 and 2018 indicated a 32% higher rate of non-contact knee injuries and a 69% higher rate of non-contact foot and ankle injuries on artificial turf compared with natural grass. A study conducted by Penn State University found that surface temperatures on artificial turf can be up to 50^°F higher than on natural grass. That, on average, the turf surface is much hotter than natural grass.

Artificial turf is mostly plastic, and its rising use aligns with the adoption of many other plastics for ease, convenience, and durability. Third-generation artificial turf is made of polyethylene (plastic) fibers affixed to a rubber shock pad consisting of crumb rubber and sand. The crumb rubber is often made from old tires. Artificial turf requires upkeep, has an approximate lifetime of 10 years (not very durable), releases microplastics, and ultimately becomes untenable plastic waste. Pollutants from artificial turf have been found in significant amounts in nearby surface waters.

The installation of artificial turf for athletic fields and other areas continues to rise in the US. According to one vendor, the cost for a football field ranges from $640,000 to $2,000,000. These decisions to replace natural grass are counter to the expert opinion of many professionals. “The Children’s Environmental Health Center of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s strongly discourages the installation of artificial turf playing surfaces and fields due to the uncertainties surrounding the safety of these products and the potential for dangerous heat and chemical exposures.” The protection of human and environmental health is on the side of natural grass, not convenient and “durable” artificial turf.

Julie Peller, Ph.D., is an environmental chemist (Professor of Chemistry at Valparaiso University). She has been writing a weekly column, The Green Junction, for the past seven years and is helping to move the call of Laudato Si to action. Her research interests include advanced oxidation for aqueous solutions, water quality analyses, emerging contaminants, air quality analyses, challenges along the Lake Michigan shoreline (such as Cladophora, water, and sediment contaminants), and student and citizen participation in environmental work.