Artificial Turf

Selecting Safer Alternatives for Athletic Playing Fields

Watch this video to hear from experts about chemicals in crumb rubber, potential risks to children and safer options.

TURI conducted research on infill materials used in artificial turf, which you can find in the report Athletic Playing Fields: Choosing Safer Options for Health and the Environment.

Sports Turf Alternatives Assessment

We also conducted a sports turf alternatives assessment, which compares crumb rubber to other infills and artificial turf to natural grass. See documents on the right.

Organically Managed Natural Grass is a Safer Alternative

TURI has identified organically managed natural grass as a safer alternative for sports surfaces. View the case studies on the right that highlight playable field hours and cost of maintenance in Marblehead and Springfield.

Other Turf Resources

• TURI Library’s Artificial Turf resource guide, which includes links to reports, articles and press reports; and TURI Webinar
• TURI prepared comments on a study by the Washington Department of Health

Note: Our research is focused primarily on artificial turf infills, but it is also important for decision-makers to research other components of the turf system, including the artificial grass fibers. All these components can have health and environmental impacts.