By: Scott Gerber, Program Director for the Better Play Initiative, former Communications Director to the late CA Senator Dianne Feinstein
The City and County of San Francisco, of all places, should make decisions grounded in science. Yet, when it comes to a $45 million playground renovation, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department seems ready to abandon facts for fear—and Bay Area families will pay the price.
Yet, when questions arose about what kind of infill this turf would use, San Francisco leadership seemed to be buying into myths and misinformation that have long been debunked.
According to a recent story in The San Francisco Standard, the Recreation and Parks Department is phasing out rubber-crumb infill and plans to use cork or sand instead. Why? They acknowledge that crumb rubber infill created “no primary concern from their perspective” but that “it was more of a public relations issue that they wanted to kind of curtail.”
More than 100 technical and peer-reviewed studies exist supporting the use of recycled rubber infill, some even completed by the State of California itself.
In March of this year, the California EPA and Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) published one of the most comprehensive studies to date that found “no significant health risks to players, coaches, referees and spectators from on-field or off-field exposure” to synthetic turf using crumb rubber infill. The findings couldn’t be clearer.
The CalEPA study adds to an extensive body of peer-reviewed studies, including from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) – all of which have found these fields are just as safe as grass – with far greater accessibility and lower maintenance costs.
We can trace the genesis of the myth about recycled rubber to a single soccer coach at the University of Washington who claimed, without any evidence whatsoever, that crumb rubber infill caused significant health impacts. But this myth has been debunked over and over again including by a subsequent state of Washington study.
So, the last thing that should happen is for San Francisco leaders to buy into a false narrative to avoid blowback from residents.
Crumb rubber infill is a tested material that is used across the country and around the world. It ensures that fields remain open even during or just after inclement weather. It requires far less maintenance than grass and protects our loved ones from injuring themselves in falls.
Just as importantly, it functions significantly better than alternatives, including cork or sand.
Cork is lightweight and tends to float and migrate during heavy rains, leading to uneven surfaces and loss of material. Meanwhile, sand compacts over time, making the field surface harder and increasing the risk of player injuries, including concussions.
We all want great San Francisco parks. The City, and all cities for that matter, should decide how these spaces are built and maintained based on science.
About the Better Play Initiative
The Better Play Initiative is a nationwide public education campaign that provides definitive resources on recycled rubber surfaces for parks, playgrounds, and playing fields, as well as other applications. The Initiative supports communities with up-to-date information on the safety, reliability, and durability of surfaces using crumb rubber and other recycled rubber products.
Media Contact: media@betterplaytoday.org
