THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 17, 2019 Page 13 EPA says more study needed on synthetic turf safety By Barbara Taormina D uring this week’s neighborhood meeting on Roosevelt Park, two speakers who are experts in their fi elds downplayed the notion that synthetic turf fields pose a health risk to athletes. Marie Rudiman, a toxicologist who runs her own company, EnviroRisk Solutions, urged concerned parents to check out the website of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the list of studies that have concluded that crumb rubber, a major component in synthetic turf, is not a health threat. “The EPA has 90 studies on the potential toxicity of synthetic turf, and if you look at the summaries you’ll see over and over again, no signifi cant risk,” she said. But anyone who browses around a little on the EPA site will also fi nd that the agency’s verdict on crumb rubber is still out. “Limited studies have not shown an elevated health risk from playing on fi elds with tire crumb, but the existing studies do not comprehensively evaluate the concerns about health risks from exposure to tire crumb,” explained the EPA in an introduction to a major study still undergoing technical peer review. That study, “The Federal Research Action Plan on Recycled Tire Crumb Used on Playing Fields and Playgrounds,” is being conducted by the EPA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and it draws on data from many diff erent sources. “While this eff ort won’t provide all the answers about whether synthetic turf fi elds are safe, it represents the fi rst time that such a large study is being conducted across the U.S.,” explained the EPA. Patrick Maguire, a landscape architect with a Dedham-based company, Activitas Inc., told residents who turned out for the Roosevelt Park meeting that much of the worry about synthetic turf comes from speculation rather than scientific studies that say the risks from the artificial fields are minimal. “There’s stuff in crumb rubber that’s not great, but it’s locked up tight in that rubber,” he said. “Kids can’t eat it or ingest it or get those things into their bodies.” But according to one of those studies that Rudiman mentioned, “the exposure of lead ingestion and risk level increases as the particle size of crumb rubber gets smaller,” which would be as a synthetic fi eld begins to wear down from use. The CDC has also warned about the increased risk of exposure to lead particles from synthetic turf as it grows older. Although many studies have found that exposure to specifi c chemicals and toxins in synthetic turf fall into the acceptable risk range, some researchers point out that limited work has been done on the risk of combinations of diff erent chemicals. Most studies, even those that dismiss health risks as minimal, concede that more research is needed, particularly on how diff erent components of crumb rubber in artifi cial turf aff ect children. Good news for gamers By Barbara Taormina he Ordinance Committee is proposing new rules for arcade games that will be welcomed by players and the businesses that install them for customers. Ordinance Committee Chairman/Councillor-at-Large Craig Spadafora said the ordinance that’s now on the books dates back to the 1980s when arcades were popping up everywhere. Like pool halls before them, Malden saw arcades as potential trouble spots, and the current ordinance seems to have been designed to limit them. But Nintendos and Xboxes have changed the world of arcades and amusement machines, and Malden is proposing an updated ordinance with a new license fee schedule. According to the current rules, any business with more than 25 machines is considered a family amusement center. At least half of those 25 games are required to spit T out tickets that winners can redeem for prizes while 5 percent of the machines must be rides or amusements that require no skills. Ordinance Committee members agreed to eliminate those requirements and leave it up to businesses to off er the machines and games their customers enjoy. Under the current licensing fee schedule, businesses now pay $100 a year for each machine, and any business with 10 or more machines is also hit with a $2,500 arcade or amusement center fee. “We’re losing other types of businesses, like manufacturing, and I don’t know why we’re discouraging someone who wants to come in and rent some commercial space and do this,” said Ward 6 Councillor David Camell. Committee members agreed and decided to eliminate the $2,500 fee and instead charge fees for individGAMERS | SEE PAGE 22 Like us on Facebook advocate newspaper Facebook.com/Advocate.news.ma WE WORK FOR YOU! * Have your car repaired by * An I-CAR GOLD CLASS SHOP for 1605 North Shore Road, Revere * 781-284-1200 Visit us at: www.AtlasAutobody.com or call (781) 284-1200 to schedule your appointment today!
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