Synthetic turf recreational fields across the nation - including several in Las Vegas - have been closed in recent years amid concerns that harmful levels of lead in turf fibers may be putting children at risk for lead poisoning.

In the October 2010 issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, UNLV Community Health Sciences Professor Shawn Gerstenberger and a national team of public health officials urge for new, standardized testing methods for regulatory agencies charged with monitoring the nation's growing number of synthetic turf fields.

There is currently no consistent approach for assessing lead hazards in synthetic turf, leading health officials to rely on established U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for residential soils and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) lead limits for consumer products.

Researchers analyzed data from 33 synthetic turf fields tested for lead between August 2007 and September 2008 in Nevada, New York, New Jersey and a military base in South Korea to see if they posed a lead hazard to children. Of the fields tested, 16 samples contained lead concentrations exceeding both the CPSC lead limit and the established EPA lead hazard for soils.

The heightened levels were most consistently found in green-colored nylon-based turfs and colored polyethylene-based turf - the two most common types of synthetic turfs. Sampling methods included testing the amount of lead in turf fibers and concentration of lead dust due to degrading fibers. A smaller CPSC analysis concluded synthetic fields safe to install and play on, but the synthetic turf industry has agreed to reduce lead levels in its products.

"As synthetic turf is exposed to ultraviolet radiation and other atmospheric conditions, and to use and wear, turf fibers begin to degrade and can form dust on the field," said Gerstenberger. "People who play or work on older turf fields, especially children, may be exposed to lead in the dust, primarily by ingestion through hand-to-mouth contact."

According to Gerstenberger, since frequency of contact with the fields varies widely, just how much of a risk this exposure poses to kids needs to be examined further.

Until regulatory guidelines are enacted, including a standardized testing approach for synthetic turf, the research team urges an intermediate strategy to guide health officials nationwide. The report issues the following guidelines:

• If synthetic fiber testing is less than newly established CPSC limit for lead in consumer products (300 mg/kg), no further action is necessary;
• If contamination exceeds the CPSC limit and EPA standards for lead dust on floors (40 mcg/ft?) and young children are likely to have frequent contact with the turf, access should be restricted and the turf replaced immediately;
• If contamination exceeds the CPSC limit and EPA standards and young children are not likely to have frequent contact with the turf, access for children should be restricted and the turf replaced as soon as possible.

Study authors encourage physicians to be aware of lead from turf as a potential source of exposure to young children with elevated blood lead levels. In children six and younger, lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities and behavioral problems; and, at very high levels, seizures, coma and even death.

The report appears in the October 2010 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.