Description

There have been more and more reports recently about the possibility of exposure to toxic substances in the "tire crumb" material used in many artificial turf fields. This one in particular, behind Graham and Parks Elementary School, is used by many children every day of the week. We often find a large amount of it in our sons' shoes when we get home. (See picture.)

It seems to me that Cambridge City should take the lead on this issue, and work proactively to use proven nontoxic materials wherever our children play. The EPA is apparently doing an in-depth study, but it will be some time before their results are clear. Why wait? When our children may be endangered, we should act without delay.

According to the group EHHI,
"The relationship between exposures affecting the rubber workers and those experienced by people using athletic fields, or children in playgrounds covered with ground-up rubber tire material is not known, but we do know that many of the same chemicals that rubber workers are exposed to are being released from the ground-up rubber tire crumbs." (http://www.ehhi.org/reports/turf/)

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Seth Yarden