Artificial Turf Cancer? Let’s get something straight right from the top: if you’re playing once or twice per week on artificial turf (sometimes just referred to as “3G”), the risk of getting cancer from it is not something that should register high up your list of worries.
Why would you even think it might?
We’ll, as strange as it sounds, there have been some scare stories out there suggesting that artificial pitches represent a cancer risk. A lot of it hasn’t been reported very responsibly so it’s worth looking at in more detail.
Why might 3G artificial turf give me cancer?
As we covered in our article: What You Need to Know About Artificial Grass, most modern artificial surfaces are covered with something called ‘rubber crumb infill’ – the little black bits that you see on the turf and are still picking out of your shoes a fortnight after a game.
These rubber bits help improve the natural bounce of the ball and keep the surface in good condition by protecting against wear and tear. The problem is they’re made of recycled car tyres, and not everybody is sure that this is a suitable material to be using.
Whilst this ingenious use of car tyres is great news in saving landfill space, concerns have been raised that pouring billions of ground-up tyres all over our pitches might not be good for the players coming into contact with it on a regular basis.
Is rubber crumb dangerous?
Testing the rubber crumb in a lab is the easy bit, and it has been found that it does contain a number of chemicals that are considered carcinogenic (external link).
But we’ve known that for ages. What’s more difficult to assess is whether they are there in quantities and combinations that make them dangerous, and whether they are being transmitted to humans whilst we play.
It’s not like anyone is going around trying to eat this stuff. Remember, the majority of players are never touching rubber crumb with anything other than the bottom of their shoe. So how is that resulting in a cancer risk?
Maybe it’s not. At least that’s the assumption we’ve been working under for quite a while now:
- FIFA released a letter addressing this very concern as far back as 2006. At that point, they concluded that there was no significant risk to participants from using artificial turf fields (external link to that letter)
- The US Environmental Protection Agency did a limited study across a small number of facilities and concluded that the limited data they collected do not point to a concern.
So you might wonder why there’s still an issue.
Why do people (still) think artificial turf might cause cancer?
The most recent news articles on this topic have stemmed from the US, where the concept of artificial turf never seems to have sat easily with a lot of people, despite there being tens of thousands of facilities.
One person in particular has been making news in this area. That’s Amy Griffin – Former member of the US Women’s National Team and current Goalkeeper Coach for the University of Washington.
Six years ago on a visit to a children’s cancer ward, Amy was informed by a nurse that the patient she was visiting was the fifth goalkeeper to be treated that week. When Amy discovered this, she began to wonder if there was a link between them and their use of artificial turf surfaces. So she began collecting a list of similar cases.
A pitch that’s heavy on the rubber crumb.
In 6 years she found 187 young people with cancer, 150 of whom are soccer players and 95 are goalkeepers (who typically spend a bit more time rolling around on the turf). Although many of the newspapers reported this as a ‘study’, it doesn’t prove (or disprove) anything.
In the UK alone, there are 386 new cases per year of Hodgkins Lymphona (just one type of cancer on Amy’s list) in people between Between 10 and 24 years old – sadly, young people are especially vulnerable to it). Over the course of 6 years, you might consider that it would be possible to find examples of those who have come into contact with artificial turf surfaces on a regular basis. That doesn’t prove that their cancer was caused by it.
Are soccer players at higher risk of cancer than other people?
The list of names compiled by Coach Griffin attracted so much media attention that the Washington State Department of Health decided to investigate the matter.
They compared the numbers of players identified as having cancer by coach Griffin and compared it to the overall number of people diagnosed with cancer. They found that, in fact, the number of soccer players suffering from cancer was far lower than that of the overall population. Coach Griffin’s list, therefore, was not considered to point to a high correlation between artificial turf and cancer.
After looking at those statistics, their recommendation, issued in this report issued in January 2017, was that “people who enjoy soccer continue to play irrespective of the type of field surface.”
Coach Griffith’s list had got people understandably concerned. Especially when you see it being reported in a rather dramatic way. Cancer is no laughing matter, and even the idea that artificial turf could be linked to it is unsettling. But Washington State Department of Health have shown that the number of people on that list isn’t, in itself, a cause for any panic.
How can we know for sure if there’s any cancer risk?
Even after the Washington State Department of Health’s report that soccer players do not show higher levels of cancer than others, many would still not regard that as conclusive. Remember, that’s just a study looking into the numbers. Not the cause and effect.
Even though some initial studies have been done there hasn’t yet been one that has looked at long term exposure to crumb rubber, which might occur through inhilation, ingestion, or contact with open wounds.
The recent publicity has at least achieved one thing: it has raised the debate again with the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), who are now taking this matter very seriously and are going to report back with a more detailed investigation.
That’s good news for all of us playing on these surfaces. We need a more thorough study giving us a definitive study on the safety of these surfaces, given that they’re used by millions of people every week.
Should I stop playing on these surfaces until we know more?
That, of course, is a matter of personal choice.
Remember, various indicative studies have suggested that there is no significant risk of getting cancer from this type of turf.
But it’s also worth having some perspective here. If you’re spending one or two hours per week for your regular game of 5-a-side (or any other format of the game) on a rubber-crumb artificial surface then the risk of cancer must be considered low, and that’s what the limited studies already carried out seem to suggest.
Millions of people are playing on artificial turf each week and are unlikely to stop.
In fact, of all the things I’d worry about for a regular game of football, cancer wouldn’t even make my top 10.
If anything is going to increase your risk of health problems, including cancer, it would be packing in your regular game and losing out on the opportunity to exercise on a regular basis.
So, until we get a definitive study on these surfaces telling us there is a danger, millions of us will keep on using them.
Tips to minimise contact with rubber crumb
These are things that you should be doing anyway, as a basic matter of hygiene:
- Wash your hands after each game of football to remove any traces of rubber crumb that you might have picked up.
- If you have a open wound which has got rubber crumb in it, ensure that you bathe the affected area to remove any of this debris.
More Reading
- Consider checking out this balanced article (one of few that are) on the subject: https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/growth-curve/science-may-get-sidelined-artificial-turf-debate
- Watch the ESPN report on the matter – Youtube
- News article covering the Washington State Department of Health findings, January 2017.
Seven years ago come this July we bought a new home which came with a large enchanting pond/lake. It was beautiful, a wonderful perfect eco-system with every wild animals and insect here imaginable. Then four years ago they built a 3G shredded rubber tyre open-air storage dumpsite 100ft from our waters edge and 30ft higher up our embankment. First to die were the water lilies, then oxygenating pond weed, then all micro-pond life. Dragonflies, butterflies and moths dissappeared and then the bats, lizards and snakes and water voles, teh kingfisher and the heron plus newts and frogs. Badgers have gone and no more fox cubs. The list of animals gone is huge. It seems that when it rains the rainwater passes through the shredded rubber tyres, drains into the water table then into our pond/lake. The water in our pond/lake tests out to be the same as the water at the 3G drain overflow discharge point which drains off unfiltered into the school woods. We have reported the devastated ecosystem to Homewood School who own the 3G pitch but they do not believe they are at fault after showing us a dubious reading safety report for crumb rubber. Since then the matter has been reported to ALL authorities and all have decided that it is not their concern and passed the matter to other departments over the past four years. Our MP Damian Green refuses to consider our observations and also shows ni concern that the once wonderful perfect ecosystem is now gone forever. No one from any department has come here and none will come here because all pass the buck. I have pointed out that rubber tyres are deemed hazardous waste written in LAW and that when shredded and stored on open-air dumpsite they become many times more toxic as does any hazardous material when shredded into millions of smaller parts. I am ignored and laughed at now. Today my MP answered my detail email with two lines saying that he did not agree with me and that was it. No concern about the forever damaged ecosystem and loss of wild life—and no concern that children playing on the shredded tyres, deemed in law to be hazardous waste, may become ill from the fumes, dust and chemicals being released from the thousand tons or more of hazardous waste as deemed so in Law and endorsed by a fee of £1.60 per tyres when motorist have there worn tyres replaced. How does shredding the tyres miraculously make them un-hazardous. We believe the stuff is poison to our property and to children but on our own we have novoiceand no power to get compensation or get our fears across to others. We are now stuck with a poisoned perhaps unsaleable property and my be stuck here forever unable to sell up and move away. Meanwhile the school is trying to sell the grass sports fields off to developers without the land going out to tender. It all seems so obscene that no one cares. We can’t fight it all on our own at our ages of 78 and 71. We are just laughed at. Please help us prove our case to scientist who keep saying 3G is very safe because the evidence here is that it is not safe at all.
Its the break down of this stuff that I am concerned about Turing into fine dust
Since a 3G pitch was built next to my half acre historic ponds all pond weed, micro-organisms, newts, frogs and small fish have died. I believe it is because the drains serving the pitch are inadequate and toxic chemicals from it get into my historic ponds. Most of the drains are blocked at the school and so I get all the school much into my ponds. I have told the school and various government departments but they all say 3 G pitches have passed the EUCHA 2018 safety requirements. I am fobbed off by everyone I raise the issue with. I advised the school governors to issue kids with masks so they do not breath in rubber dust but the governors refuse to do anything at all. I think 3G is lethal and will kill thousands of people over time just like I believe it is killing my ponds. I can’t prove anything without extensive testing of drain mud and mud in my ponds and this could cost maybe 10 to 50 thousand pounds. What can I do to get schools to issue masks to children? Surely kids should not breath in any rubber dust at all whilst on gong research is still being done. Can anyone advise me how to proceed? There has never been a problem with the ponds before the water from the 3G pitch got into my ponds.
3g has poisoned my ponds
What about absorption through the skin due to wet surface area after/during rain? This must be of concern surely?
Well, that’s a double edge sword…blah blah blah it’s fine, then at the end, make sure you wash all traces of rubber from you skin!!! If it’s so safe, why?!
Hi Petra. I don’t think that was the way the advice was intended. There’s no need to disinfect from head to toe after playing on rubber crumb based turf. Do wash your hands when you first get chance- that’s an easy one, and something very basic. Then, have a shower later on, which is something you’d do anyway after sport -right. The purpose of the advice is for those who are worried: it avoids extra contact with the rubber than is necessary.
Thanks For this informative blog .We never think its can be possible that artificial turf can be cause of cancer.
one can also inhale this staff. that is the problem
That is true, but at the current time there is no well-researched evidence showing this causes cancer, though.
If crumb rubber is harmless then why has it killed my pond life all weed and all my water lillies in my 3/4 acre pond and in my secondary pond 50 ft by 200 ft ? Large fish have so far survived but they no longer breed. Out of 150 duck eggs last year put into the incubator non hatched. the year before crumb rubber nearly all hatched. My large pond is systematically poisoned every time the new 3g pitch is flooded by heavy rain. All the wild life I spent thousand of pounds to protect has been effected from the largest animal down to the smallest such as dragonflies and damsel flies which are now no more. The fish now have nothing natural to eat and I have to spend 100 pounds a month feeding them. I used to have 50 to 60 ducks now there are only four and none fly in and stay anymore. Crumb rubber is toxic waste of that I am totally convinced and parents must not let little children play on the stuff especially on hot dry days when the dust and fumes are at their peak. Children are low down to the dust and fumes and take in the full brunt of the toxic waste. I believe my large ponds are living proof that crumb rubber is TOXIC and should be banned. I plan to sue the school for persistent deliberate damage to my property once i have enough evidence, as it is the only way to bring the matter to light seeing as the Minister For the Environment and all other agencies refuse to investigate and do not give a toss about damaging the environment so long as they get rid of millions of old tyres by grinding them up and spreading them over the entire UK . Only idiots or the corrupt would continue to say that it is safe for little children to breathe rubber dust and fumes and will never be harmed. The illnesses caused may take years to detect by which time the culprits can blame such illnesses on air pollution or lifestyles or whatever. Ban the rotten stuff or at least stop putting more down at the rate of 20 square miles a year in schools and parks and sports centres. There is big money in the sale and use of the rotten stuff and hence the Minister for Education and the Health Minister also do not give a toss. I am angry and sorry to rant on so much but the stuff is TOXIC and must be banned.
Vote, please. Thanks very much
https://www.change.org/p/european-commission-rubber-ban-on-artificial-turf?recruiter=558734021&utm_source=petitions_show_components_action_panel_wrapper&utm_medium=copylink