To: Town of Greenwich, Greenwich Board of Education, Peter Tesei, Joe Siciliano, Bill McKersie, and Board of Ed Members

Keep Dangerous Play Surfaces Out of Greenwich

Crumb rubber, made from ground up tires, contains known carcinogens. If it's not fit for a landfill, it's not fit our children to play on!

Why is this important?

Petition started by “Greenwich Parents Against Crumb Rubber”

The turf at Greenwich High School's Cardinal Stadium is due to be replaced in Summer 2016.
We are calling for an immediate moratorium on the installation of crumb rubber infill for turf fields.
When turf surfaces require replacement, organic alternatives such as coconut, cork or GreenPlay should be utilized.
No new turf fields containing crumb rubber should be installed at Greenwich Public Schools or at town-owned park sites.

WHY THIS MATTERS:

Crumb rubber is made of ground-up old tires, which are classified as “special waste” in the State of CT, meaning they cannot be landfilled. Grinding them up into small pellets exposes children playing on turf surfaces to known carcinogens (such as Benzene, Arsenic & Carbon Black) through fume inhalation, ingestion and dermal absorption as tire crumbs can get into hair, ears, eyes, mouths and may even enter the skin through wounds (such as turf burn).

The Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center has urged a moratorium on the use of recycled rubber tires on fields and playgrounds.

A multi-agency investigation into the safety of crumb rubber is under way at the federal level. The EPA found that “existing studies do not comprehensively evaluate the concerns about the health rises from exposure to tire crumb.” Additionally, the Consumer Product Safety Commission no longer stands by an earlier assessment that crumb rubber is “safe.”

MORE INFO:

You can read more about the carcinogenic substances contained in crumb rubber from a Yale study here: http://www.ehhi.org/turf/findings0815.shtml

You can read more about the Mount Sinai Children's Environmental Health Center's position on crumb rubber here: http://media.wix.com/ugd/fd0a19_f5aa0824698341499b4228ebabf90cb5.pdf

A University of Washington soccer coach has been tracking nationwide cancer diagnoses in players, potentially linked to crumb rubber. So far, 217 have been diagnosed, some have died. An ESPN special report can be viewed at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91svvfuF7iY

(NOTE: The authors of this petition have no financial interest in or affiliations with any providers or manufacturers)