Chemical Watch, November 10, 2016

US Agency (NNCO - National Nanotechnology Coordination Office) updates Nanotechnology Strategy plan. Industry press is tracking nanotechnology law changes.

Good Sports, March 6, 2017

"From concerns about concussions to cancer, parents have become alarmed by media reports of increased injuries and illnesses."

"And there is the further question of who is responsible for assuring the safety of these fields—the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control, the Consumer Product Safety Commission?"

"Modern tires are a mixture of natural and synthetic rubber, carbon black–a material made from petroleum–and somewhere between four and 10 gallons of petroleum products. They also contain metals, including cadmium, lead (which is neurotoxic), and zinc. Some of the chemicals in tires, such as dibenzopyrenes, are known carcinogens."

NJ.com, February 15, 2017

"Two years after the church playground rubber chips were installed, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection alerted church officials that hazardous substances had been found on the property and remediation was mandated under state law."

"PCBs, lead and mercury were detected at above levels deemed acceptable in New Jersey, according to the firm, Professional Environmental Associates of Rockaway."

Article compilation by Rebekah Thomson

The Huffington Post, November 14, 2016

"Chemical toxins identified included the metals arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead and zinc, the chemicals acetone, ethylbenzene, tetrachloroethylene, toluene and xylene, and phthalates."

Mercury News, May 27, 2015

“ '[Waste tire infill is] deemed toxic waste before it’s recycled,' said Dern, who is a spokeswoman for California nonprofit Healthy Child Healthy World. 'So if it’s considered toxic waste, why are we using it as our children’s playgrounds?'

'What's good for a tire is not good for a child,' said Jennifer Beals. 'We need to protect our children's health, and their health comes before anybody's pocketbook.' "

EHHI

"Why is it, when each synthetic turf field contains 40,000 ground-up used rubber tires that contain many toxic compounds, do schools and towns continue to think it is a good idea to install them?"

"Those who vote to install the synthetic turf fields claim- there might be toxins in the fields but they do not affect the players - the players do not eat the tire crumbs. True, they do not eat the tire crumbs but --- as the fields are played on the tire crumbs break down into dust and the dust is then inhaled by the players.  The dust contains the toxic chemicals which are delivered from the lungs into the entire body."

EHHI

"Findings of the chemical analysis conducted by Yale University on the crumb rubber tire infill used in synthetic turf and the rubber tire mulch used as surfacing material in toddler playgrounds."

Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science, July 7, 2015

"One of the study’s findings is that of the 96 chemicals detected, almost half of them had no toxicity screenings to determine their health effects. The other chemicals underwent incomplete toxicity assessments. And of those, 20 percent are considered probable carcinogens. Additionally, 40 percent are found to be irritants causing problems for either breathing, the skin or the eyes."

WKYC, June 30, 2015

"The study found 96 chemicals in 14 samples. Of the 96 chemicals detected, 47 chemicals (49 percent) had no toxicity assessments done on them for their health effects. Of the 96 chemicals detected, 49 chemicals (51 percent) have had some toxicity testing done, but even many of those had incomplete toxicity testing and therefore all health effects are not fully known. Of the 49 chemicals tested, 10 or 20 percent are probable carcinogens."

New Haven Register, June 25, 2015

“The ground-up rubber tires contain many carcinogens, including carbon black nano-particles and nanotubes. There are 40,000 ground-up rubber tires in every field and these rubber crumbs get into the players’ ears, eyes, mouths, hair, exposing them to the carcinogens that are in the rubber tire infill.”

“It is time we stopped experimenting with the health of a whole generation of students who are being forced to play on carcinogenic materials with no government agency, either federal or state, protecting them.”

New Haven Register, May 11, 2015

"How should the public react to new studies showing that carbon black nanoparticles in rubber tires could be as dangerous as asbestos?

A new study led by the Queen's Medical Research Institute at the University of Edinburg/MRC Center for Inflammation Research in Scotland showed that long, needle-thin carbon nanotubes can lead to lung cancer. Their research reported that these carbon nanotubes could be as harmful as breathing asbestos."

Scientific American, May 20, 2008

"New research shows that long, needle-thin carbon nanotubes could lead to lung cancer."