Input from experts, government agencies, & organizations,
12 of which directly address LGUSD.
Last update: April 18, 2022.
Letters denoted with *** were
submitted by their author(s) explicitly
to the Los Gatos Union School District (LGUSD) Board
regarding campus modernization options
being explored in 2021/2022.
WHY say NO to plastic turf (a.k.a. artificial turf)?
Find out by drilling down on facts and perspectives regarding issues related to plastic turf provided by the experts, government agencies, and organizations below.
Note to the LGUSD community and other communities where the proposal specifies using an alternative infill:
Issues alluded to below that are specific to tire crumb infill are, of course, not pertinent. However, as you drill down, it will become clear infill toxicity represents just one of a litany of serious concerns related to plastic turf. The weight and volume of these concerns are more than sufficient to warrant saying NO to plastic turf regardless of the infill product proposed.
Government agencies and partners:
Children’s Environmental Health Center of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai ***
Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit for Western States at UCSF Dept of Medicine ***
Valley Water, the primary water resources agency for Santa Clara County
Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff Pollution Prevention Program Association *** which represents:
the County of Santa Clara,
Valley Water,
the Town of Los Gatos,
12 other cities, and
West Valley Clean Water Authority, the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Authority for 4 West Valley communities including Los Gatos ***
California Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
California Environmental Protection Agency Department of Toxic Substances Control
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, retraction of synthetic turf safety assurances
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, compliance with standard most definitely doesn't mean safe
Subject matter experts:
Grass experts: Drought-tolerant natural grass fields for sports are feasible and manageable. ***
Chip Osborne, organic turfgrass expert
Marc Curran of TenCate, a leading manufacturer of artificial grass: No artificial turf recycling in the U.S.
Dan Sawyer, CEO of Brock, an artificial turf system company, on natural grass significantly outperforming safety-wise
Dr. Graham Peaslee, physicist at University of Notre Dame and one of the world’s top experts in detecting PFAS
Dr. Graham Peaslee, again
Kristen Mello, analytical chemist, on how to test for PFAS
~200 scientists, mostly with Ph.D.s advising to avoid products containing PFASs whenever possible
Dr. Kyla Bennett, Director of Science Policy at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
Dr. Jamie DeWitt, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University
Colorado State University on landscape water use
University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources on landscape water use
Dr. Greg Guyton, orthopedic surgeon and Co-Director of the Foot and Ankle Fellowship at Union Memorial Hospital
Marine Biology Research Division at UCSD's Scripps Institution of Oceanography on synthetic turf greenhouse gases
Organizations: