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Turf makers: Nylon fields are safe
Athletic directors from Fairmont, Centerville, Dayton say they don't anticipate a problem.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
When Jonas Smith, athletic director for Dayton Public Schools, heard about possible health risks associated with synthetic athletic fields, he started to think. And then he started to dial.
After a phone call to The Motz Group, a Cincinnati-based company scheduled to begin installing the new artificial surface at Welcome Stadium in late June, he came away confident in the product's safety.
Extras
"I'm told this type of turf is extremely safe, and has been for 40 years," Smith said.
Smith is hardly alone among area high school officials with a few questions after learning that two New Jersey fields were closed recently due to turf fibers found to contain unacceptable levels of lead.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has launched an inquiry into all types of artificial turf, including what you might find on a patio.
What's an AD to do?
High schools such as Centerville, Fairmont, Springboro and Northmont all have installed synthetic fields in the past few years. They are costlier than sod, but require less upkeep.
A letter from Professional Sports Field Services, LLC, a turf maintenance outfit, reached the desk of Fairmont Athletic Director Rick Robertson and warned, "Unfortunately, there has been some negative press in the news. ... Your stadium field may be questioned as to its safety during this period."
Attached was a statement from the Synthetic Turf Council, a trade organization whose board of directors is chaired by Joe Motz, president and CEO of The Motz Group.
"Based on the facts, chemical science, and research that is readily available, we believe the synthetic turf fields identified in New Jersey, and similar fields made with nylon fibers, are safe to use and pose no known risk to an individual's health or the environment," the STC statement read.
So, what's an athletic director to do — or think?
"Based on what we know and on the research we are seeing, we don't feel like it warrants closing our facility," Robertson said.
Centerville AD Ron Ullery said he intends to do some research but doubts there's a problem. Centerville has had its turf for two football seasons.
"It would be surprising if anything serious came out of this," Ullery said. "(Synthetic turf) is at every level of athletics, at prestigious universities and in pro sports worldwide. It would surprise me if something like this could slip past so many people.
"We have had no complaints about our field, no injuries, no abrasions, nothing that would lead back to the turf."
No uproar — yet
Springboro AD Steve Castator said the turf controversy surprised him: "I talked to our business manager, and he was going to contact The Motz Group to see what, if anything, we should do. They've been great with us from the get-go."
Joe Motz said the synthetic grass in the fields he installs is different from what was used in the closed New Jersey fields.
"We were proactive right away and let everyone know they have a different kind of fiber," Motz said. "We're continuing to notify (customers)."
Robertson said he has not heard from concerned parents yet, although he did receive a newspaper article — from an anonymous source — detailing the problems in New Jersey.
"But that could be someone who's perturbed that we put in an artificial surface in the first place," Robertson sighed. "Maybe that person just loves grass."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland@DaytonDailyNews.com.
