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The European Union Ban on Microplastics Includes Artificial Turf Crumb Rubber Infill: Other Nations Should Follow Suit
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This viewpoint article discusses the European Union's decision to include artificial turf crumb rubber infill in its microplastics ban and argues that other countries should adopt similar policies. Crumb rubber, made from recycled tires, contains hundreds of chemicals including known carcinogens and leaches microplastic particles that athletes and children are exposed to during play. The authors urge nations to follow the EU's lead in protecting public health by restricting this significant source of microplastic exposure.
ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVViewpointNEXTThe European Union Ban on Microplastics Includes Artificial Turf Crumb Rubber Infill: Other Nations Should Follow SuitPhilip ZuccaroPhilip ZuccaroDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, United StatesYale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, United StatesMore by Philip Zuccaro, David C. ThompsonDavid C. ThompsonDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, United StatesMore by David C. Thompson, Jacob de BoerJacob de BoerAmsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081HV Amsterdam, The NetherlandsMore by Jacob de Boer, Maria LlompartMaria LlompartCRETUS, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition, and Food Sciences, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago de Compostela, SpainMore by Maria Llompart, Andrew WattersonAndrew WattersonFaculty of Health Sciences and Sport, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, ScotlandMore by Andrew Watterson, Robert BilottRobert BilottDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, United StatesMore by Robert Bilott, Linda S. BirnbaumLinda S. BirnbaumDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, United StatesNicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United StatesMore by Linda S. Birnbaumhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5429-5658, and Vasilis Vasiliou*Vasilis VasiliouDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, United States*[email protected]More by Vasilis VasiliouView Biographyhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2552-3118Cite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 2024, 58, 6, 2591–2594Publication Date (Web):February 1, 2024Publication History Received2 January 2024Published online1 February 2024Published inissue 13 February 2024https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.4c00047https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c00047article-commentaryACS PublicationsCopyright © 2024 American Chemical Society. This publication is available under these Terms of Use. Request reuse permissions This publication is free to access through this site. Learn MoreArticle Views4428Altmetric-Citations-LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail PDF (2 MB) Get e-AlertscloseSUBJECTS:Biopolymers,Bodies of water,Environmental pollution,Materials,Water pollution Get e-Alerts
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Artificial sport surfaces and adverse effects for human health. A literature review
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This literature review evaluates health risks from artificial sport surfaces using recycled tire rubber infill, finding that the EU classifies rubber granules as microplastics and that their hazardous chemical content raises bio-accessibility concerns especially for children using playgrounds.
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This review compared artificial turf and crumb rubber infill regulations across seven jurisdictions, finding significant variation in regulatory approaches and insufficient research on the human and environmental health risks of these materials.
A comparison of two rotational traction test devices for artificial turf
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Despite its title referencing microplastic infills, this paper studies sports pitch traction testing — not microplastic pollution. It examines the mechanical performance of two rotational traction test devices when used on artificial turf pitches infilled with natural alternatives (cork, olive pits, wood) that have replaced banned microplastic rubber crumb, and is not primarily relevant to microplastics or human health.
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Researchers reviewed the scientific and policy landscape around crumb rubber from recycled tires used in synthetic sports pitches, finding that the microplastics it releases produce ecotoxic effects that cannot be adequately contained, and that Great Britain's regulatory response relies on incomplete evidence that diverges from precautionary environmental standards.
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Researchers reviewed the environmental fate of recycled tyre rubber granulate used as infill on artificial turf fields, finding that while the material provides significant CO2 savings compared to alternatives, dispersal of approximately 3,000-5,000 kg per field per year to surrounding environments raises microplastic pollution concerns.
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