AMSTERDAM (Dec. 21, 2016) — Synthetic turf fields with an infill of rubber granulate are safe for the public and for sport purposes, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said recently, citing a new study.
According to the study, substances such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, plasticizers (phthalates) and bisphenol A (BPA) that are released from rubber are harmless as they are in "very low quantities."
"This is because the substances are more or less 'enclosed' in the granulate," the study concluded, "which means that the effect of these substances on human health is virtually negligible."
The study covers all fields with styrene-butadiene rubber granulates in The Netherlands, as there is little variation in the concentrations of substances among fields and among the measurement points per field.
The study found no link between playing sports on synthetic turfs and leukemia and lymph-node cancer.