


Frank Pallone, Jr.
Artificial turf debate: Is it safe for children?
Artificial turf debate: Is it safe for children?

On weekday evenings and weekend afternoons each fall, hundreds of high school athletes can be seen kicking up dust, dragging opponents to the ground and otherwise rolling around on athletic fields across the Lehigh Valley. In many of those stadiums and sports complexes, they're playing on artificial turf surfaces touted as low-maintenance, reliable, cost-saving investments that ensure fields are playable and can withstand the beating they take throughout the year. But lately, a groundswell of concern has developed over what health hazards, if any, might lurk on and beneath those synthetic fibers, particularly those that incorporate the use of tiny bits of rubber ground up from...