The allure of artificial turf is great. It always looks professionally groomed, needs no mowing, artificial fertilizers or pesticides, and in cool climates, it needs no watering. As it is not living, it tolerates continuous playing without grass turf’s need for recovery time.
What is this seeming wonder product sweeping our playing fields? Artificial turf is a carpet of plastic grass-like “blades” woven into a synthetic backing with drainage perforations. Other synthetic layers help approximate the feel of natural grass turf. The carpet usually has infill—ground up material or sand—in the spaces between the blades for both cushioning and keeping blades vertical.
However, there are many serious downsides of artificial turf in the areas of health, safety, and the environment, suggesting that this product, rather than being an asset, is an overall liability to us and our communities.
Health
Microplastics are tiny breathable particles in our air, soil, and water that are shed from all types of plastics, as they are used or exposed to the elements. Breathing hard during sports activities increases people’s exposure to inhaled microplastics, which find their way into all our body organs and fluids. Exposure to microplastics contributes to higher risks for cancer, respiratory, cardiovascular, or immune system effects, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. PFAS also disrupt hormone systems and can also cause high cholesterol.
Among the many harmful chemicals added to produce the different properties of plastics are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, aka forever chemicals) and pre-PFAS—substances that turn into PFAS as they degrade. Pre-PFAS substances can be found in artificial turf, making manufacturer and retailer claims of PFAS-free turf quite misleading.
For these reasons, children and young adults who play sports on artificial turf may have increased chances of developing PFAS-related illness.
Artificial turf infill dangers vary by type. Ground up tires (“rubber crumb”) are highly toxic, while the plastic beads used as infill particles add to the microplastic burden.
Safety
Heat absorption by artificial turf is so great that “heat islands” form, increasing the risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke in players. Artificial turf can reach temperatures of 120-180 degrees, leading to contact burns and even melting shoes. The National Football League Players Association prefers grass turf and has argued that a decade’s worth of data supports the argument that players suffer fewer injuries on grass than on artificial turf.
Environment
Plastics are made from fossil fuels, especially fracked gas (methane), a very potent global warming gas. The toxic runoff from artificial turf includes microplastics and a slew of chemicals that contaminate groundwater and soil. Plastic grass blades detach, adding 200-300 pounds of plastic to the environment per field, per year, and potentially much more. Also, artificial turf laid atop a natural surface stifles biodiversity and can harbor unwanted molds and bacteria.
Economics
Upfront costs of artificial turf are greater than using natural grass, and replacement is expensive. In hot weather, the addition of cooling gels is necessary to mitigate the dangerous heat island effects and to prevent burns. The gel must be watered.
Despite claims to the contrary, other maintenance is required, including specialized deep cleaning for mold and bacterial remediation, drainage management, specialized leaf clearance, and repair of damaged areas.
Importantly, the cost of artificial turf continues to mount after its useful life has ended. These costs include removal, trucking, and landfill fees for 4,000-40,000 pounds of plastic turf per field.
Well-planned, grass turf supports community health and the environment, whereas artificial turf brings harm. Natural turf can be grown and maintained sustainably, resiliently, and with good drainage. Modern, precision watering methods can aid in keeping fields healthy and playable throughout the year.
Artificial Turf Warnings
Natural grass is safer to play on, cooler on warm days, and better for the air and environment. Because of the many health dangers, the California Environmental Protection Agency now allows municipalities to ban artificial turf. The Children’s Environmental Health Center at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan has recommended against artificial turf, citing “the uncertainties surrounding the safety of these products and the potential for dangerous heat and chemical exposures.” Beginning in 2031, the European Union will ban certain microplastics that are used in artificial turf, potentially making it more difficult to install these products in the EU.
Although it is not clear which type of turf is less expensive in actual dollars—natural or synthetic—there is no question that the overall costs—health, environmental, etc.—of artificial turf are simply too high.