Scientists issue urgent warning about harmful impacts of commonly used sports fields: 'Highly justified to prevent the further spread'

A new study highlighted the environmental impacts of artificial turf and proposed several methods to help solve the problem.

What's happening?

Small pieces of styrene-butadiene rubber, made from recycled tires, are used to fill the gaps between grass blades in 90% to 95% of all synthetic turfs in Europe, according to the study's authors. However, SBR granules often shed from these turfs and enter the environment through water runoff, snow removal, and deposition on maintenance equipment and clothing. 

The Norway-based study, published in Science of the Total Environment, aimed to investigate just how many of these granules are lost in annually operated soccer fields across the country, and the authors came up with a shocking number: 900 kilograms (about 1,984 pounds) per field per year.

Why is this study important?

The study adds to the growing body of research that scientists have collected about microplastics, tiny pieces of plastic that can be found all over the planet, including in the air, water, and soil. These microplastics, and even smaller nanoplastics, often result from the breakdown of single-use plastics such as water bottles and disposable cutlery, but they've previously been linked to artificial turf. In fact, one team of Spanish scientists discovered high concentrations of plastic fibers from artificial grass off the coast of Barcelona.

Because microplastics have infiltrated our environment, human exposure is a concern. They've already been discovered throughout human organs and body fluids. For instance, one study found significant levels of these tiny plastic particles in the penises of four out of five men undergoing erectile dysfunction–related surgery. Another study found microplastics in all 23 semen samples examined.

While research is still ongoing, studies have tied microplastic exposure to health problems such as cancer, dementia, and impaired blood flow in the brain.

What's being done about microplastics?

The authors of the study called for improved management, including building a physical barrier around a field when installing new turf and managing drainage and stormwater, along with prohibiting refilling fields with SBR granules, to help decrease the number of microplastics entering the environment from turf. 

"The results in this study show that a [market] ban, as currently being adopted by the EU, is highly justified to prevent the further spread of microplastics to the environment, but far from sufficient to stop the losses in the years to come," they said. "National policies, from the government or football association, that are easy to implement, practical and enforceable, to prevent the spread of microplastics to the environment should be initiated."

Meanwhile, one important way that we can reduce the number of microplastic particles entering the environment is by cutting down our consumption of single-use plastics. For instance, England and France banned plastic cutlery for most fast food and takeout. You can use less plastic in your everyday life by opting for reusable shopping bags and water bottles and purchasing shampoo bars instead of bottled varieties.

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