US EPA Releases First Part of Crumb Rubber Report

Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its crumb rubber characterization report, which summarizes results on a range of chemicals, including metals and organic chemicals, that the EPA found in their study of tire crumb rubber. This is the first of a two part multi-agency study into the safety of crumb rubber.

The report highlights what we already know about crumb rubber infill in synthetic turf fields: crumb rubber is made of the same components found in everyday consumer products, and hospital and classroom floors. The report reconfirms that the mere presence of a substance does not equate with human exposure, and recognizes substances are also present in natural grass and other types of fields. Furthermore, when the EPA tested for dozens of substances it found low and below-detection limits emissions, which is consistent with previous studies. We look forward to the EPA finishing their human exposure characterization in a timely manner in order to provide parents and communities the certainty they deserve.

Highlights of the report:

• This research represents the largest and most robust study of synthetic turf fields and tire crumb rubber to date in the United States.
• Findings from this study support the premise that while many chemicals are present in the recycled tire crumb rubber, exposure may be limited based on what is released into air or biological fluids.
• The presence of a substance does not directly equate with human exposure. While there are many chemicals associated with recycled tire crumb rubber, [the EPA] laboratory experiments suggest that the amount of chemicals available for exposure through release into the air and simulated biological fluids is relatively low.
• Emissions of many organic chemicals into air were typically found to be below detection limits or test chamber background, and releases of metals into simulated biological fluids were very low (mean bioaccessibility values averaged about 3% in gastric fluid and less than 1% in saliva and sweat plus sebum).
• In general, concentrations [of measured metal and extractable semivolatile organic compounds (SVOC)] in this study were consistent with, and within the range of, concentrations found in previous studies.
• While there is concern about chemical exposures resulting from the use of recycled tire and other materials in synthetic fields, it is important to recognize that some of the chemicals are likely to be present in other types of fields, including natural grass fields. For example, metals (including lead) and PAHs (including benzo[a]pyrene) of potential concern at synthetic turf fields with tire crumb rubber infill are also often found in surface soil in the U.S. and may be present at natural grass playing fields.
• This report is not a risk assessment.

The full Synthetic Turf Field Recycled Tire Crumb Rubber Characterization Research Final Report: Part 1 -Tire Crumb Rubber Characterization can be found here. Further information, including background and context can be found below in the background section.

The STC has developed multiple resources for you to use when you receive questions on the EPA findings inside and outside the industry. Please feel free to use the above highlights of the report (the quotes have been taken directly from the report) and sample tweet below. The Coalition for Better Fields and Surfaces, which includes the STC, has developed a resource website located at https://www.recycledrubberfacts.org. If you have any questions or comments on the EPA report, or if you receive media/publication inquiries, please reach out to me directly at dan@syntheticturfcouncil.org.

Sample Tweet:

• Overall, today's EPA report highlights what we already know about crumb rubber infill in synthetic turf fields - it is made of the same components found in everyday consumer products, and hospital and classroom floors. https://tinyurl.com/yxhn6myk   

Background

This report is part of the Federal Research Action Plan (FRAP) on Recycled Tire Crumb Used on Playing Fields and Playgrounds, a multi-agency research effort by EPA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR), and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to characterize the chemicals associated with tire crumb rubber and to identify the ways in which people may be potentially exposed to those chemicals based on their activities on synthetic turf fields. The report has undergone independent, external peer review in accordance with EPA and CDC policies.

The Federal Research Action Plan was launched in 2016 to address concerns raised by the public about soccer players and the safety of recycled tire crumb used in playing fields and playgrounds. The research activities represent a collaborative federal effort to increase knowledge and available information about synthetic turf fields by developing exposure information (what is in the material and how people come in contact with the material). CPSC is conducting separate research on playgrounds.

EPA and CDC/ATSDR are reporting research findings in two parts. Part 1 Tire Crumb Rubber Characterization Research Report summarizes results on a range of chemicals, including metals and organic chemicals, that were found in the tire crumb rubber. Based upon available literature, this research represents the largest and most robust study of synthetic turf fields and tire crumb rubber to date in the United States. Tire crumb rubber samples were collected from nine tire recycling facilities, and tire crumb rubber infill was collected from 40 synthetic turf fields across the United States. The fields represented a range of field types, field ages and geographic locations and included both indoor and outdoor fields. Multiple analytical techniques were applied to measure physical, chemical and microbiological attributes of the various groups of samples. Tire crumb rubber characterization results from this portion of the research provide insight into the number and types of chemicals associated with the material, the amount of chemicals released into the air and biological fluids, and the range and variability of these parameters.

Part 2, to be released later, will include data to characterize potential human exposures to the chemicals found in the tire crumb rubber material while using synthetic turf fields. Part 2 will be released along with results from a biomonitoring study being conducted by CDC/ATSDR to investigate potential exposure to constituents in tire crumb rubber. These research activities and the resulting findings do not provide an assessment of the risks associated with playing on or contact with the tire crumb rubber used for synthetic turf fields. Instead, these research results should inform future risk assessments.

For more information on the FRAP: https://www.epa.gov/chemical-research/federal-research-action-plan-recycled-tire-crumb-used-playing-fields.

Updated information is available at EPA’s study website, www.epa.gov/tirecrumb.