Artificial Turf May Equal Real Litigation

“I am writing this letter as a concerned part-time resident of Martha’s Vineyard and an attorney with experience in mass tort litigation — i.e., tobacco, asbestos, and defective drugs. Sadly, what is currently unfolding within the synthetic turf industry bears striking similarities to the aforementioned mass tort catastrophes - deceptive marketing practices, industry funded junk science (aimed at misleading customers and creating doubt in the courtroom), and a focus on corporate profits over consumer health and safety.”

Rebekah ThomsonJune 5, 2019Human health, Environment, Costs

Athletic Playing Fields: Choosing Safer Options for Health and the Environment

“Artificial turf poses a number of health and environmental concerns. Those communities that have decided to install artificial turf are encouraged to make careful choices among the materials available to them... Communities should bear in mind that existing tests apply only to the sample on which they are conducted, and materials used in artificial turf may vary widely in composition. From an environmental and health standpoint, organically managed natural grass is a safer choice for sports fields. When the full product life cycle is considered, organically managed natural grass also offers lower costs over time.”

Rebekah ThomsonJune 4, 2019Human health, Costs

Major New Fears Emerge Over Absence of Recycling Plan for 3G Pitches

“One individual who asked not to be named working in the recycling of 3G pitches in the UK described it as a ‘massive issue’ and said that in the next two decades the problem ‘will escalate beyond belief’. ‘Most surfaces will have to be relaid in the next 10 to 15 years and there will have to be a home for them. You cannot begin to imagine how much. You will be able to fill Wembley Stadium [with artificial turf].’

Rebekah ThomsonJune 4, 2019Disposal, Environment, Costs

The 100-Yard Deception

A six-month NJ Advance Media investigation found FieldTurf, the top U.S. maker of artificial sports fields, made millions selling high-end turf to taxpayers in towns and schools across N.J. and the U.S. after knowing it was falling apart.

Rebekah ThomsonJune 4, 2019Premature failure, Deceptive marketing, Safety, Costs, Disposal

Letter From Vineyard Conservation Society

"Against this backdrop of growing enthusiasm for measures to reduce plastic waste, and the progress already achieved by our Island community, the possibility of replacing natural grass with one or more massive plastic carpets is particularly dissonant, and disappointing. Artificial turf, while not disposable in quite the same sense as a plastic drinking straw, is indeed a plastic waste issue."

Rebekah ThomsonJune 4, 2019Environment, Plastic pollution, Costs, Disposal

How Extreme Weather Is Shrinking the Planet

“With wildfires, heat waves, and rising sea levels, large tracts of the earth are at risk of becoming uninhabitable. But the fossil-fuel industry continues its assault on the facts.”

Rebekah ThomsonJune 4, 2019Climate change, Environment, Plastic pollution, Human health, Costs

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