UAlbany Home UAlbany Site Index UAlbany Search
School of Public Health, University at Albany
Home
News
EMERGING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Conferences
Resources
Library
Members and Staff
Contact Information
analytical laboratory
Emerging Environmental Issues
Possible Health Effects of Synthetic Turf

Synthetic turf is increasingly used on playing fields and in parks. It is made in layers of synthetic materials including green plastic blades attached to a backing, small particles called "fill" that secure the blades, and underlying systems for drainage and stability. The fill, often referred to as “crumb rubber”, is of interest because it is usually made from recycled tires containing chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects and other health problems under some exposure conditions. Many companies supply fill, and it is provided in various forms, so the chemical composition varies. Work has been ongoing to evaluate the various components of synthetic turf fields and the products used to maintain them. The information on this webpage provides an initial summary of screening chemical analyses of some fill products. Please click here for further information.

Cadmium in Children's Toys

There have been numerous recent reports of toxic metals, especially lead, in toy jewelry, lunch boxes and other inexpensive consumer items. This has resulted in recalls of a number of metallic toy jewelry items by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, as well as actions by state government agencies. Please click here for further information.

Depleted Uranium

A new report finds depleted uranium (DU) can be detected in people more than 20 years after exposure when using high sensitivity urine tests. Radioactive DU has also been found in the dust of two homes and a workplace after the National Lead Industry sites federal cleanup.

The isotope measurement testing project, which has never before been conducted on any US community, is a joint initiative of United States and United Kingdom scientists, led by Prof. Randall Parrish. The results are being published in an international journal, Science of the Total Environment (doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2007.09.044, electronically available on-line).

The National Lead Industries factory emitted between 5 and 10 tons of DU aerosols from 1958 to 1982. DU is a toxic chemical due to its heavy metal and radiological properties. National Lead used DU to manufacture armor-piercing munitions. For further information please see the following documents:
Human Health Effects of Lead

The Public Health Live Broadcast originally aired on November 15, 2007 is now available to view online.

Click here to watch the archived webstream of this program.

 


Please send questions or comments to: ihe@uamail.albany.edu

Top of page